NEW EV PREAPPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM AIMS TO CREATE DIVERSE PIPELINE TO EV INDUSTRY

Hire360 and ComEd have partnered on a new EV Pre-Apprenticeship Program. (ADOBE STOCK PHOTO)
Hire360 and ComEd have partnered on a new EV Pre-Apprenticeship Program. (ADOBE STOCK PHOTO)

NEW EV PREAPPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM AIMS TO CREATE DIVERSE PIPELINE TO EV INDUSTRY

BY TIA CAROL JONES

HIRE360 and ComEd have partnered to create a pre apprenticeship program that is meant to be a pipeline to develop diverse talent and grow the Electric Vehicle Industry in Illinois.

The EV Charging Pre-Apprenticeship Program is an eight-week,
paid training program, which is set to begin in the fall. The training will focus on people in communities on the South and West sides.

AnaMaria Montes de Oca-Rojas, Director of Workforce Development for HIRE360, said HIRE360 wanted to partner with ComEd on the program because it sees the growth in the opportunity to give diverse talent a pipeline to the EV Industry in Illinois. The goal is to prepare those who participate in the program to take the aptitude test to get into the IBEW Local 134.

The program will consist of hard skills test preparation and soft skills training. The hope is at completion of the program that participants will have a career. There is room for 20 individuals to participate in the first cohort of the program. The hope is with more cohorts there will be room for more people to participate. “We really think this is a great opportunity for the community to not only obtain a job, but it’s a career, where they will be earning a good wage,” Montes de Oca-Rojas.

Laticia Holbert, Workforce Development Manager for ComEd, said the program is important because there is a strong demand for the clean energy sector in Illinois. With the transition to clean energy on the horizon, there is a need for more workers.

Also, with the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA), there is a goal to get 1 million Electric Vehicles on the road in Illinois by 2030. With that, according to an ComEd Jobs  Study, it is expected 150,000 new jobs will be created by 2050, which means there is a great need for training programs in the
Electric Vehicle Industry.

“ComEd was committed to making sure we equipped the
diverse communities that we serve by providing job training programs. With that, a partnership was natural with HIRE360,” Holbert said.

Holbert has been working with HIRE360 for three years and
was aware of the work HIRE360 was doing in the city to work with unions and the energy sector. She approached HIRE360 with the idea for the program. ComEd is the investor of the program and HIRE360 is the administrator of the program.

“It is a privilege to partner with ComEd to launch the new Take Charge: EV Pre-Apprenticeship Program,” Jay Rowell, executive director of HIRE360, said in a release. “Illinois clean energy and transportation jobs grew by almost five percent in 2021, with EV manufacturing jobs leading the way. Initiatives like this are critical to the growth and success of Chicago’s EV industry.”

At the end of the program, the participants will be matched with jobs in EV charging, with the aim that the participants will find a job that works for them. Holbert, as a workforce development practitioner, always is looking at what is driving the future, as well as where the market is going. The goal is for ComEd to be ready for what is coming.

“From the moment I brought this to HIRE360 to now, it’s really amazing. I’m excited for the participants and future graduates of the program to go through a life changing experience to be the future of clean energy,” Holbert said. The deadline to apply is Sept. 1st. To apply, visit https:// hire360chicago.com/comed.

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