Iowa Energy Workforce WorkshopMonday, November 26, 2007

Iowa State UniversityAmes, Iowa

Summary of Breakout Sessions

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Table of ContentsBreakout Session 1: Increasing the “energy” workforce.....................................................3Breakout Session 2: Training, retraining technicians, linemen, operators..........................6Breakout Session 3: Energizing engineering education....................................................10

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Breakout Session 1: Increasing the “energy” workforce

Facilitator: Jennifer Watson, MidAmerican Energy Company

1. What are best ways to share the IA-energy-vision with K-6, middle-, high-school?2. How to recruit a larger % of tech-inclined college-students into energy? 3. To what extent can we provide energy-ed/training to students in nontechnical fields?4. How to retain IA students studying energy-fields to energy-employment, in IA?5. Can we use the IA-energy vision to recruit students from other states?6. Should we/can we increase recruitment of international students? At which degree

levels?7. To what extent can we recruit professionals already employed outside IA?

Question 1 – What are best ways to share the IA-energy-vision with K-6, middle, high school students?

Mid-American Energy reaches out to K-6 with visits that teach safety to students FLL (First Lego League) is a way to spark science and engineering in the minds

of K-6 How to spark interest in utility industry?

Interactivity Fun Short Hands-On ‘Wow factor’

Possibility of doing school visits with a line-truck, similar to fire fighter visits Tie to environment and conservation Get teachers excited about what is going on, they are the key to the students

Internship programs with high-school students (Ames High has agreements with ISU physics and biology departments)

Summer Camp for teachers Stipends!! Job Shadowing Energy University 101 (Mark Douglas)

Hands-On Control Center tour ½ day Graduation certificate

Try and tie this to continuing education for credit NSF research awards for this type of thing Alliant and Mid-Am have teamed up for a 2 week class in 6 high schools Tie education to livelihood and energy Newspapers and media influence job market (ie: mergers will cause loss of jobs)

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K-6 Safety What the jobs in the industry Interest in math, science, and reading Interactivity – fun, short, hands-on School visits – show and tell

Middle School/High School Get teachers interested Needs to fit with curriculum (math, science, tech) Internships for teachers – ‘summer camp’ Stipends Energy University 101 (IUA)

½ day – tie to CEU/Stipend National Science Foundation Awards

Content Is key Tie to environment

Question 2 – How to recruit a larger % of tech-inclined college-students into energy?

Leverage technology to connect with people the way they are communicating Facebook Myspace Cell phone text messaging

What is the message that we are conveying about the utility industry? Internship program dictates which path of study students will follow Students have misconceptions that utility industry is boring Students have misconceptions that salaries in industry are lower than others Career Fairs

8th grade is the time to start Community Colleges and Utilities need to partner up Scholarships Campus Visits

Free Food Talk about salaries and benefits

Question 3 – To what extent can we provide energy-ed/training to students in non-technical fields?

What message are we conveying about the utility industry? Same things from #2 above. What are possibilities for other majors.

Question 4 - How to retain IA students studying energy-fields to energy-employment, in IA?

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Money Quick turnaround on employment offers Diversity in Iowa! Are we tapping our valuable diverse assets in the state?

Possible Department of Labor Grants

Question 5 – Can we use the IA-energy vision to recruit students from other states? Quality Programs in the education system How do we stand out? Tie in an environmental focus

Question 6 – Should we/can we increase recruitment of international students? At what degree level?

Some jobs do not require Master’s degrees A good career planning path should help for students to know where to go

Question 7 - To what extent can we recruit professionals already employed outside Iowa?

Economic Development Team – career fairs outside the state (Atlanta, Phoenix) Businesses need to be represented at these fairs

Iowans back to Iowa Effort

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Breakout Session 2: Training, retraining technicians, linemen, operators

Facilitator: Bill McAnally, Iowa Central Community College

1. What energy-programs exist in IA today? Are they satisfying IA’s needs? Will they satisfy future needs? Should they be modified/expanded/strengthened? Create new ones? Create partnerships between community-colleges? Between community colleges & universities?

2. What skills/knowledge needed now/future that are not addressed by IA institutions?3. Where can educational institutions and industry most effectively work together?4. Are there satisfactory re-training options in terms of content/delivery/credentials?

Middle skills work shortage

Project Lead the Way- Recruits High school kids in Engineering at 9th grade level- Focuses on math & Science skills

Question 1 - What energy-programs exist in IA today? Are they satisfying IA’s needs? Will they satisfy future needs? Should they be modified/expanded/strengthened? Create new ones? Create partnerships between community-colleges? Between community colleges & universities?

#1 Nation Wind Program1,000 annual techsSub groups – gearbox, bladesNot enough supply for any one company10-12 wind repair companies that supply repair technicians

- will need total of 100 new technicians just by the end of this year alone- 1 tech for 8-9 turbines in a park

Welding – Full programsRe-training – pipe nuclearExpand if needed if possibleMath – tech report

Career Academy – dual Credit

There are not many specialist companies such as solely gearbox repair, but more “jack-of-all-trades” technicians

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Now some companies are offering blade maintenance specialization- this could be extended to generator or gearbox specialists

Subgroups of worker shortages- welder: nuclear area & pipe fitters

The presumed reason for the skilled laborer shortages are that knowledgeable instructors can’t be hired at a reasonable cost because of their industry experiences.- therefore its hard to allow enough students into a program

ex. Welding programs are full and the job can be physically demanding

- community college programs are trying to increase student: professor ratio- possibly increases up to 12-15 additional students/ professor

Additional Problems

Must convince parents no students to pursue tech/trade positions- most parents would like for student to addend 4 year not 2 year associates programs

DMAC sets up career academy where H.S. kids receive both H.S. & college credits i.e. dual credit program

H.S. superintendents need to focus more on increasing math skills and by supplementing less on English skills- Largest reason kids don’t make it through programs are because of lack of intermediate algebra skills - Reason: superintendents are judged by English proficiency skills and NOT by how many skilled trades people that are produced from H.S.

High Demand areas where programs lack graduates:- bio-diesel- electromechanical- wind- instrumentation

hard to get students into these programs some because of math deficiency- bio and electrical areas need math GPA around 3.5-4.0 or they won’t make the program requirements

Need to get excitement into the kids to join the programs- may be more beneficial to get parents excited in the program so as to not move kids

away from skilled labor positions- ***Key is to get to the parents NOT the kids ****

Some ways to get students involved

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- some having taken mobile lab to the school for demoso v/f drive demos

How to attract kids / Adults to skilled positions

Problems: 1. Person is trained as lineman, but may start out reading meters. Because of Gen X mentality there is no job commitment and they will leave unless given instant gratification (i.e. as a lineman not meter reader)- this problem is sometimes significant in the unions

2. Older workers become irritated when young workers are assigned to work together because they feel that the ‘new blood’ hasn’t paid their dues to get to work in this position

Considerations- new workers aren’t concerned with money, more interested in work location and

instant gratification- Therefore, must change industry outlook toward apprenticeships

Educational Challenges

Need to help recognize AAS degrees when working toward a 4 year degree (credit transfers)- work with getting 2+2 certification programs more universal among universities- more standardized text books between

Question 2 - What skills are needed now/ future that are not addressed adequately by colleges?

- more places are looking for engineers with not only engineering degree, but some technical backgrounds or hands on experience

- Techs trained in energy efficiency is very much in need (i.e. infrared heat scanner training)

- even more power stations don’t matter much unless the issue of efficiency is addressed to stop wasting energy

H.S. internships are needed-for this we must change the industry image- Its hard to show shop floor to kids to get them excited because of labor laws- This expansion is need just as bad as internships in college programs

-ideas for providing this are: using “controlled lab settings”, job shadowing, this helps to stimulate kids interests into an electrical area

CIRAS – Ron Cox

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Certification programsPower Systems Operator certification by NERC regulations- 3 different levels of Continuing Education Hours (CEH)- When hiring CEH means a lot because workers must be trained without this type of

certifications- This is the problem: If we don’t hire people with certification we must train them so

at Dairyland we have our own in-house training programo But, if colleges would offer some specialize train we would contract out that

service

ISU works with Energy Group of America- courses are approved by NERC

o taken over the internet – self administered examinationso possibilities up to 40 courses offered within a years time

- issues exist because advertising these training doesn’t get out enough to all companies

- need to send more broad messages- create a consensus about what companies needs are so they can better be served

How to fill System Operator Positions

- consolidation of positions to meet the lack of available resourceso NO this idea hurts more than helps

- How do we backfill operator positionso Pull engineers?o These positions require a larger skill set than before

Question 4 - Are there satisfactory re-training options?

- Most colleges have problems getting advisory committee to come and listen- Should we do a large scale search?

With respect to college training options (i.e. short courses)- difficult to figure out which short courses that are of value to the majority of

industries- Problems: Hard to send people to training without paying overtime to another

worker who covers for that missed shift- Another reason, we don’t even have enough people initially to let operators go to

additional training.

OneSource - website available for all community colleges for re-training

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Breakout Session 3: Energizing engineering education

Facilitator: Mike Nickeson, Alliant Energy

1. What energy-programs exist in IA today? Are they satisfying IA’s needs? Will they satisfy future needs? Should they be modified/expanded/strengthened? Create new ones? Create partnerships between universities? Between CCs and universities?

2. What skills/knowledge needed now/future that are not addressed by IA institutions?3. Where can ed-institutions and industry most effectively work together?4. Are there satisfactory learning options in terms of content/delivery/credentials?5. Do we need to modify/expand/strengthen graduate education in energy? Can IA’s

future energy industry absorb more MS, PhD students? Will they pay them enough? To what extent will we need IA-focused energy-research, and where will it be done?

Question 1 - What energy-programs exist in IA today? Are they satisfying IA’s needs? Will they satisfy future needs? Should they be modified/expanded/strengthened? Create new ones? Create partnerships between universities? Between CCs and universities?

All of the private sector representatives (around 70% of the group) hire engineers

Competition is increasing for students

o More recruiters at career fairs increasing

o From around the country and various industries (location, pay, cost of

living, job appeal)

o Universities do not fulfill the need for power EE

G / H / B Visa limits hiring ability

o F-1 Can only stay and work for a year after graduation

o After that period employer must sponsor the foreign worker

o Requires 6 years commitment

o It is hard to prove that the student with F1 visa status are better qualified

than US citizens

o Ideas: Create critical needs or jobs for those F1 students, this facilitates

sponsorship and dealing with immigration authorities

o Very expensive process (need for specialized immigration attorneys, etc.)

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o Requires personal determination to get through bureaucracy, paper work,

processes

o The student may not succeed at the position, maybe he was hired because

he/she was the only candidate at the time

o Does he/she want to stay and/or obtain the US citizenship?

It was discussed whether the number power engineers is critical in Iowa

o Demographics show a decrease in population, but schools (ISU) attract

people from all over the country

o Once they graduate, do the want to stay in Des Moines, Indiana…?

o Also, Human Resources have a loose definition of power system engineers

that might affect the statistics.

Difficult to quantify the need for engineers in the future. Industry needs them

but…

o Nationwide, EE population is decreasing (at ISU it has been decreasing,

but it has stabilized)

o Faculty are declining, more is required

University administrators need to be convinced that there is

funding available in the power system area, not only in other

emerging fields

Research funding faculty and education

o Companies want to hire engineers ready to work and are not willing to

invest in training

o Determine who is teaching the practical aspects

There needs to be a better connection between university and the industry

o Power energy students bring skills to the table that are not available in

other majors

University administration hiring faculty

o Based on what NSF is funding (bio, nano) and energy doesn’t get much

o There is plenty of money to fund the energy area

In the near future, policy makers are going to make decisions on technologies

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o Do these technologies exist? What are the social implications? Do they

produce an increase in the electricity bills?

o Policy makers need to have the facts for those decisions

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Question 2 - What skills/knowledge needed now/future that are not addressed by IA institutions?

Power engineering curriculum gap

o Should have targeted curriculum (few do) for power eng. (modeling,

circuits, protection…)

o There are unique skills that power engineers have, reason to recruit them

o There is a gap between the power system engineers and others with

another EE background and certainly with mechanical engineers

o Non-power (other EE, ME) are being hired to be power engineers (will

non-power eng. pool last?)

o Some Ph.D. EE students are converted to Econ to look for answers for the

policies challenge

Skill issues when entering the industry world

o Very few schools offering power systems background

20-25 strong power programs in US / 90 offer power curriculum

Going nationwide, look for matched curriculum + need

o Industry must sell themselves to attract students to positions

Need to market the job: “Sell the job, not the location”

Students will move (to less “attractive” locations) if they like the

opportunity

o “Buildings (power plants…) are not attractive” vs. other technologies

(nano/bio)

Decrease in the market of students with control background

Emerging need to hire new breed of engineers for web services,

cyber security, remote control…

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Question 3 - Where can ed-institutions and industry most effectively work together?

Examples of projects

o Project “Lead the Way”: Introduce engineer curriculum in middle/high

schools. Credits transfer to college education

o “Dream it, do it” at lower levels

o “Skills to Work” Project

o “Invent Iowa”: ISU and UI

o “National Energy Education Development” (NEED): bring energy issues

to high schools and lower levels by training teachers.

o Attract students with senior design projects

See health care for ideas

o Industry staff mentoring PhD and MS students throughout their research

o Cross-disciplines are emerging (smart grip, carbon-free)

Opportunity to connect all these programs

o Organize, pull together, coordinate

o Committee? Annual collaborative meetings?

o How to evaluate these programs? Then apply the best practices to other

places

o Cooperation is key

Attract undeclared major students

o Industry needs to get in front of them

o Better marketing of the programs and job positions

o Sell it, better

“Power” usually refers to distribution

o It should refer to a broader view, not narrowing it

o Define the scope of the “power” definition: energy generation, efficiency,

grid, energy, end users…

Are K-12 aware of the energy situation

o There is a need to reach to them and tell them that Iowa “needs them”

o The message has to be put in their terms, not ours

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Question 4 - Are there satisfactory learning options in terms of content/delivery/credentials?

Internships, different criteria when hiring for the different companies represented:

o Usually sophomore/junior

o Recruit freshmen to actually get them

o High school, brilliant students

If experience is positive they will let know to their friends and

more could end up enrolling in engineering degrees

Female

o 85% power workforce are males

o Although all the efforts, the proportion has been stable for a while

o Now there is a real interest and the number of women hired is expected to

improve

o WIE, Society of Women Eng… increase diversity

Certifications + development

o Little requirements – P.E./D.E. ?????

o CEUs have encouraged developments

o Masters while working (with provided funding)

o Usually use off-site courses

There was a discussion on students dropping from engineering majors

o Should there be less Math and Physics and more hands-on experience?

Most of the present disagreed

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Question 5 - Do we need to modify/expand/strengthen graduate education in energy? Can IA’s future energy industry absorb more MS, PhD students? Will they pay them enough? To what extent will we need IA-focused energy-research, and where will it be done?

PhD / MS are hired for specialized positions

o For every 1 about 100 bachelors are needed

Those skills should be paid more

Problem:

o Graduate students can design great distribution systems, develop theory

o There is not enough $ to actually build them

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