Smart Grid Workforce Training and Development

The U.S. Department of Energy’s workforce training programs will help prepare the next generation of workers in the utility and electrical manufacturing industries for Smart Grid-related jobs. The programs provide nearly $100 million for 54 projects. These projects will leverage more than $95 million in funding from community colleges, universities, utilities, and manufacturers to train approximately 30,000 Americans to transform the nation’s electrical grid and implement smarter grid technologies in communities across the country.

The programs include:

• Developing and enhancing workforce training programs for the electric power sector

  These projects include the development of new training programs, strategies, and curricula at universities, community colleges, and technical schools that will serve as models for training and retraining workers across the country. They also include support for the Strategic Training and Education in Power Systems initiative, which will develop cross-disciplinary electric power system programs at the university and college level.

• Smart Grid workforce training

  These projects will conduct workforce training programs for new hires—including displaced workers and military veterans—and retraining programs for electric utility workers and electrical equipment manufacturers to enhance their knowledge of Smart Grid technologies and implementation. These projects will help ensure utilities and manufacturers have the necessary trained workforce to support ongoing Smart Grid deployment projects, including Smart Grid investment grants and demonstration projects.

For more information, see the Department of Energy’s complete project list (PDF 315 KB). Download Adobe Reader.