Press release
ComEd, YMCA of Metro Chicago Celebrate First Graduating Class of New High School Skills Training Program
Twenty-one area high school students took part in CONSTRUCT Youth Academy to learn about fast-growing careers in clean energy CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
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[{"type":"text","content":"\nTwenty-one area high school students took part in CONSTRUCT Youth Academy to learn about fast-growing careers in clean energy\n\n\n CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--\nComEd and the YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago are celebrating the first graduating class of an all-new training program designed to prepare high school students for exciting career possibilities in the clean energy and utilities fields. Today 21 Chicago-area students successfully completed the ComEd CONSTRUCT Youth Academy, a paid training program which puts them steps closer to pursuing careers in the fast-growing growing clean energy sector in Illinois.\n\n\nThe new program is a part of ComEd's plan to grow its workforce to meet changing demands facing the grid and as customer demands evolve for the future. A recent study estimates that as many as 150,000 new clean energy jobs could be created by 2050 to support the clean energy transition underway in Illinois.\n\n\n“The transition to a cleaner energy future will certainly offer health and environmental benefits through improved air quality, but ComEd is also committed to ensuring that the job creation and economic opportunity sparked by this transition benefits every community we serve,” said Keisha Parker, Vice President of External Affairs for ComEd. “In collaboration with the YMCA and partners across the region, we are bringing job training and educational opportunities to our communities that will expose more youth to exciting career possibilities in the utilities and ensure the diverse and skilled talent pipeline that the jobs of the future will demand.”\n\n\nThe CONSTRUCT Youth Academy launched in June as a three-week training program designed to expose high school students to what it’s like to work in the utilities and construction trades. During the program, students participated in a first-of-its-kind work-study experience, with opportunities to learn directly from utility leaders. Sessions exposed students to career possibilities and new advancements in the energy sector, including the use of drones to maintain and operate a modern grid, growth in solar and electric vehicles (EVs), energy efficiency programs that help customers lower energy usage while lowering the carbon footprint, and more.\n\n\n“Through the first-ever CONSTRUCT Youth Academy program, our students have been able to plant seeds for the future...