ComEd Celebrates First Graduating Class of New Program Supporting Expanding Energy Efficiency Field
July 01 2024 - 5:16PM
Business Wire
Through ComEd’s Market Development Initiative,
local residents trained to participate in Illinois’ fast-growing
energy-efficiency sector
ComEd is celebrating the first graduates of a new workforce
training offered as part of its Market Development Initiative
(MDI). The initiative provides resources and training to help
create a diverse, local workforce that is qualified to take on
growing roles in the energy efficiency industry. This week, 12
local residents completed five weeks of training to become
certified in the latest building standards and to receive other key
industry knowledge that will help advance their careers in energy
efficiency, HVAC, or weatherization.
“As we work toward a cleaner energy future, ComEd is committed
to ensuring that the opportunities that come with the clean energy
transition are accessible to all interested businesses and job
seekers,” said Melissa Washington, Senior Vice President of
Customer Operations and Strategic Initiatives at ComEd. “With
jobs in energy efficiency poised to grow in the years ahead, it’s
going to require an all-hands-on-deck effort to make sure all who
are interested are prepared to take on the jobs and contracting
opportunities that will come with it. Through MDI, ComEd and our
partners are helping shape a more diverse and inclusive energy
sector, where talented workers and firms in northern Illinois play
a central role in the work to deliver a cleaner and more equitable
future for our communities.”
Reflecting the diversity of ComEd’s service territory, over 90
percent of MDI’s first class of graduates are people of color, with
varying levels of education. With advanced training and new
certifications under their belts such as Healthy Housing
Principles, Building Science Principles, and Building Analyst
Technicians, participants now have the opportunity to pursue
promotions or salary increases. Graduates who own their own heating
and cooling businesses may now offer expanded services and bid for
contracts with large customers.
ComEd’s Market Development Initiative (MDI) launched earlier
this year to build the diverse and skilled pipeline of local job
seekers and entrepreneurs that will be needed to deliver work
created by the clean energy industry here in Illinois. Through
MDI’s new workforce training programs, participants develop the
skills required to perform work in the energy efficiency space, a
key industry growing to help customers lower their energy use while
reducing their bills and carbon emissions for the community.
Launched in partnership with Walker-Miller Energy Services and
The Will Group, MDI creates two new workforce training initiatives
to help train and provide certification to both new and experienced
workers and firms seeking to join the energy efficiency
industry.
“We’re proud to work with ComEd to not only advance the state’s
clean energy goals but to help local and diverse businesses gain
the skills needed to keep up with the expanding energy-efficiency
industry,” said Carla Walker-Miller, founder and CEO of
Walker-Miller Energy Services. “Participants’ new industry
certifications and skills will allow them to contribute to the
widespread adoption of energy-efficient practices that help reduce
energy consumption, lowering both consumers’ energy bills and
carbon footprint.”
Business owners and entrepreneur participants are also offered
resources to navigate the procurement process of energy-efficiency
projects, assistance in joining a searchable vendor database, and
education and training on ComEd’s energy-efficiency portfolio
offerings. Through MDI, participants have the opportunity to apply
to become part of ComEd’s Energy Efficiency Service Provider
Network – a resource to gain new business while offering ComEd
customers energy-efficiency improvements, incentives, discounts,
and rebates.
“Our team strives to advance the careers and businesses of
diverse vendors through education, training, and wrap-around
assistance services,” said Stephen Taylor, Director of
Professional Services for The Will Group. “The launch of MDI
builds on our longstanding partnership with ComEd to remove hiring
barriers and prepare members of our communities for the growing
number of opportunities in the clean energy sector.”
Expanding job training in energy efficiency supports the goals
of recent landmark climate legislation, with the state of Illinois’
Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) poised to expand
energy-efficient and clean energy technologies that will put
Illinois communities on a path to a lower carbon future. A
significant number of jobs are expected to come to Illinois to
support the clean energy transition, with a recent study predicting
that as many as 150,000 jobs will be added in Illinois by 2050.
“Although I have been in the HVAC industry for approximately 20
years, technology has advanced rapidly to make heating and cooling
smarter, safer, and cleaner,” said Anthony Simmons, MDI Skilled
Cohort graduate and President of II Bulls Mechanical Services Inc.,
an HVAC company serving the Chicago area. “As more and more
customers ask about heat pumps, I’ll be ready to help customers
decarbonize their homes. I’m excited to leverage my newfound
training to deliver greater value to my customers while driving
business growth for my company.”
To reach more job seekers interested in working in the energy
efficiency space, ComEd’s MDI offers training for participants of
all levels. The MDI Newcomer Cohort, aimed at providing
introductory training for local residents new to the energy
efficiency space, launches later this summer, with a deadline to
apply by August 2. Applicants must be at least 18 years old, reside
in ComEd’s service territory, have a high school diploma or GED,
and pass a background check.
For more information about MDI, visit ComEd.com/MDI.
B-roll of today’s announcement is available for download
at: https://vimeo.com/973230062/74f6d1a3fd?share=copy
Photos of today’s announcement are available for download
at:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1bpM_HcGeSuaVP6MdSYfLw9dPUf3tROaw?usp=sharing
About ComEd
ComEd is a unit of Chicago-based Exelon Corporation (NASDAQ:
EXC), a Fortune 200 energy company with approximately 10 million
electricity and natural gas customers – the largest number of
customers in the U.S. ComEd powers the lives of more than 4 million
customers across northern Illinois, or 70 percent of the state’s
population. For more information visit ComEd.com, and connect with
the company on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X, and YouTube.
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