ComEd Celebrates 10 Years of Workforce Development with Chicago Community Build Event

All hands-on deck for ComEd’s Bed Building initiative. Participants nailed, measured and constructed materials needed to assemble the beds. The finished beds are being donated to needy children across Northern Illinois. Photo courtesy of ComEd.
All hands-on deck for ComEd’s Bed Building initiative. Participants nailed, measured and constructed materials needed to assemble the beds. The finished beds are being donated to needy children across Northern Illinois. Photo courtesy of ComEd.

ComEd Celebrates 10 Years of Workforce Development with Chicago Community Build Event


Participants built beds for children in need as part of ongoing Tools of the Trade program


ComEd recently celebrated 10 years of its Tools of the Trade program with a community bed build event in Chicago, Illinois, where participants gathered to build beds for children in need. Throughout the day, 30 young adults ages 17–19 built 25 beds to be donated to St. Joseph’s Bed Ministry. Combined with a bed build event in Rockford on July 15, where 15 young adults built an additional 30 beds, this year’s Tools of the Trade participants have assembled more than 55 beds for children in need. This marks the fourth year of ComEd’s partnership with St. Joseph’s Bed Ministry, which has provided more than 240 beds for children across northern Illinois.


Tools of the Trade introduces young adults to career pathways in the energy and utility industry through hands-on project experience, opportunities for professional development, access to keynote speakers and community service initiatives. Events like the bed build in Chicago also provide participants with opportunities to apply their skills outside the classroom while supporting local communities, an important component of the Tools of the Trade experience.


New this year, the program expanded its offerings to include CDL Permit Awareness Training, which presents participants with the requirements and career opportunities in commercial driving, as well as Construction and Skilled Trades (CAST) Test preparation. The program will conclude with a graduation ceremony on July 31 at the Oakbrook Commercial Center to celebrate the accomplishments of the graduates and recognize their growth throughout the program.


“At ComEd, we're committed to helping young adults in our community feel confident about their futures. Programs like Tools of the Trade give participants the chance to explore career paths in the energy industry while learning real skills that they may not have had access to before,” said Melissa Washington, Senior Vice President of Government, Regulatory and External Affairs at ComEd. “We’re always looking for ways to grow and strengthen this program so we can support more students as they take their next steps. It’s incredibly rewarding to see young people gain the confidence and direction they need to pursue meaningful careers.”


ComEd partnered with educators, community organizations and workforce development programs across northern Illinois to recruit participants for Tools of the Trade. Recruitment efforts included partnerships with local Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs, as well as Squared Away Construction, which helped connect participants from YouthBuild Rockford and Chicago. Throughout the seven-week program, students attended immersive classroom sessions five days a week at ComEd training centers, where they developed technical knowledge, professional skills and firsthand exposure to careers in the energy and utility industry.comed.com


“Squared Away Construction is deeply committed to expanding workforce development opportunities for young people,” said Raymond Fleming, founder and CEO of Squared Away Construction. “Programs like Tools of the Trade give teens the opportunity to explore career pathways and build confidence in their futures. We’re proud to partner with ComEd and look forward to continuing this important work together.”


Earlier this year, Fox Valley Career Center instructor Clayton Hansen participated in the program’s Exploration Workshop for Teachers, which provides educators with exposure to careers in the energy industry and workforce development opportunities for their students. Hansen later brought students to a Discovery Workshop, where they gained hands-on exposure to utility careers and energy industry opportunities. Following the workshop, two of his students were accepted into the 2026 Tools of the Trade program.


“Tools of the Trade provided my students with a chance to explore careers with ComEd and in electrical distribution that isn't possible in my electrical systems classroom. Every student found the day to be relevant and impactful," said Clayton Hansen, electrical systems and HVAC instructor at Fox Valley Career Center. "After participating in one of the program’s discovery workshops, it became clear that this had a positive impact on my students. I'm proud to see two of them taking part this summer and look forward to seeing how it will help shape their futures.” With more than 150,000 clean energy jobs expected to be added in Illinois by 2050, ComEd continues to build a strong pipeline of local, diverse, and qualified talent through a variety of STEM and skilled trades education and training programs. The Center for Energy Workforce Development estimated that 32 million people will be hired in the energy industry in the next decade, highlighting a growing demand for a highly skilled workforce. Programs like Tools of the Trade play a key role in preparing young adults to meet that demand.


In addition to Tools of the Trade, ComEd also supports programs such as CONSTRUCT Infrastructure Youth Academy, Power Up Academy and the Market Development Initiative. These workforce development programs are designed to give participants hands-on experience, industry knowledge and career exposure while helping prepare them for the future energy workforce.


For more information about ComEd’s workforce development and career training programs, please go to www.ComEd.com/CleanEnergyJobs.

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