North Carolina is among the states where utilities are aggressively trying to replace an expected shortage of workers in the coming years.
This state could lose more than 40 percent of its skilled trade workers and nuclear workers in the next five years, creating thousands of vacancies, according to estimates compiled by the Center for Energy Workforce Development, an industry group.
The report's preliminary estimates show that the expected shortages won't gut staffing across the board. The most critical job categories that will be depleted by retirements and departures will be line workers, skilled technicians and engineers.
"Far more line workers and plant operators are needed than are currently supplied," the organization's report says.
Progress Energy and Duke Energy, as part of the Carolinas Energy Workforce Consortium, are working with community colleges and government agencies to create training programs to make sure the labor pipeline doesn't run dry.
North Carolina is also one of nine states participating in program funded by a $1.7 million grant to CEWD from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The grant pays for programs to attract low-income people to careers in energy and utilities through such services as coaching, training and credentialing.
For companies like Raleigh-based Progress and Charlotte-based Duke Energy, maintaining sufficient workers in the labor pipeline is as essential as stocking adequate supplies of fuel and equipment.
Duke and Progress announced a corporate merger in January and expect to complete their union this year. The combined utility could shed hundreds of redundant jobs in legal, finance and other such office functions. The companies announced last week that they will offer buyouts to workers to minimize potential layoffs. But critical positions in power plant operations and field work will not be affected by corporate downsizing.
The average worker age at Charlotte-based Duke is about 50, while the average worker at Raleigh-based Progress is 46. The national average is 47.
"These are jobs that can't be outsourced to a foreign country," said CEWD executive director Ann Randazzo. "They're in every county, in every state."
Progress shed nearly 1,450 employees, or about 13 percent of its workforce in the Carolinas, five years ago in an early-retirement program designed to cut costs. Many departing senior employees were replaced by younger workers.
Both power companies work with a number of technical schools and community colleges to establish training programs, internships and job placement. Schools that offer line technician training are Forsyth Tech in Forsyth County, Nash Community College in Nash County and York Technical College in South Carolina.
"These are great, well-paying jobs, but you have to want to do that type of hard work," Progress spokesman Mike Hughes said of utility line and service workers.
