With a need to hire job-ready candidates, Nicor Gas, together with NPL Construction Co. and the Quad County Urban League, recently launched the Nicor Gas Career Academy. The six-week job-readiness program is designed to prepare participants for entry level work in the utility industry, with a focus on natural gas.

According to the Center for Energy Workforce Development, nearly 50 percent of the energy workforce will retire in the next 5-10 years. In fact, Nicor Gas has already experienced an influx of retirements over the last few years and has created a workforce development initiative that includes programs and processes to ensure that knowledge is transferred to new employees.

“We are a family of more than 2,000 dedicated energy professionals who design, install, operate and maintain 34,300 miles of pipeline that allows us to serve 2.2 million customers across the more than 650 communities we serve in northern Illinois,” said Melvin D. Williams, Nicor Gas president. “The Nicor Gas Career Academy is another way to ensure the workforce is ready to build the future of energy.”

Twenty-five participants have been accepted into Nicor Gas Career Academy’s inaugural cohort. The curriculum focuses on natural gas operations training, but also integrates core math concepts, safety, technology and employability skills, as well as personal and professional development.  Participants will also job shadow in the Nicor Gas call center to understand the customer experience and in the field alongside meter readers and operations employees.

“As an energy construction company, every day our employees build great things, including their careers,” said Dylan Hradek, NPL senior vice president of the Great Lakes region. “Our hope is that 100 percent of the Career Academy graduates build their energy careers at NPL and Nicor Gas.”

The program will conclude in September with interview preparation and a graduation ceremony. For more information about the Nicor Gas Career Academy, visit: nicorgas.com/careeracademy. IEF