ComEd Apprenticeship Program Changes Participants’ Lives

LaKoya Hampton is a graduate of the ComEd CONSTRUCT Infrastructure Academy. She is now part of ComEd’s overhead team. PHOTO PROVIDED BY COMED.
LaKoya Hampton is a graduate of the ComEd CONSTRUCT Infrastructure Academy. She is now part of ComEd’s overhead team. PHOTO PROVIDED BY COMED.

 
ComEd Apprenticeship Program Changes Participants’ Lives

By Tia Carol Jones

LaKoya Hampton was introduced to Chicago Women in Trades during a visit to a resource center near her house, after she moved back to Chicago from Texas in 2022. Chicago Women in Trades partnered with ComEd for the CONSTRUCT program.

Hampton initially wanted to be a carpenter, but was advised to enroll in the program that focused on utilities because there were more opportunities in the field.

ComEd’s CONSTRUCT Infrastructure Academy is an 11-week program that exposes the participants to entry-level utility and construction positions. The program was launched 11 years ago and it has a 75 percent  employment and hiring rate since the program began. ComEd has a goal to hire 500 entry-level workers by 2025 to support the clean energy transition to modernize the grid. To date, it has hired 300 entry level workers.

While ComEd is the main administrator of the program, there are agency partners that work in tandem to find the recruits and train the recruits. The partners for the 2024 program include Aspira, Chicago Urban League, National Latino Education Institute, Quad County Urban League, YWCA Metropolitan Chicago, Central State Serves, Jobs for Progress, St. Sabina and Chicago Cred.

During the program, Hampton learned about various utilities – gas, plumbing, HVAC and electric. The program helped her prepare for an exam that is a requirement to work for ComEd, which consists of graphic arithmetic, mechanical concepts and measurements. She, along with the other program participants attended Climb Clinics, so they could learn how to climb, and met with mentors from different departments. Hampton chose overhead, because she wanted a challenge. It is the hardest department in ComEd.

“Since joining the company, I feel much healthier due to the physical demands of the job. I consistently work out and consume healthier foods, so I can perform at my best,” Hampton said.
Hampton is also much more financially stable than she was when she first started the program. Being financially stable is important to her because she has two children. Now she is able to save money and invest in her children’s future.

The 2024 CONSTRUCT Infrastructure Academy begins on Jan. 29th and run through April 10th . Laticia Holbert, Workforce Development Manager for ComEd, said the program can support 75 to 80 participants in the 2024 Co-hort.

Holbert said Hampton is beginning her electrical apprenticeship now and is in the overhead basis school.

“She’s a woman and she’s defying the odds,” Holbert said about Hampton. “She put in a lot of hard work and her story is incredible. She has done such a tremendous jobs. We’re so proud of LaKoya.”

Holbert said the program enables participants to enhance their economic stability and prosperity. It allows them to have a family sustaining wage. The program also creates a pipeline of opportunities for the participants and their families.

Hampton attributes the success in her career to the CONSTRUCT program. It allowed her to build confidence and the connections necessary to get her to where she is today.

“I would strongly recommend anyone out there considering a career change to think about trades training programs like CONSTRUCT. These open doors to rewarding careers in the trades, which will continue to offer room for growth and advancement,” Hampton said. Most importantly, it puts you in touch with a long-term position at a prestigious company like ComEd, where the compensation and benefits disperse any worries of being able to provide for your family.”

For more information about applying for the CONSTRUCT Infrastructure Academy, visit the partners websites.

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