Customer & Community
Training & Professional Development
Achieving a diverse culture starts with attracting and recruiting a broad range of candidates who represent the diverse communities we serve. We seek talent from a variety of sources:
- the Internet
- targeted job fairs
- partnerships with academic institutions
- professional industry associations
- the military
- specialty firms and other organizations
Our recruitment efforts continued to support our efforts to foster an inclusive workforce. Of the 1,134 employees hired in 2016, 50 percent were minorities and 28 percent were women. Minorities accounted for 49 percent of all promotions in 2016. Twenty-four percent of those promoted were women. The percentage of minorities working as general managers, directors, and above was 30 percent; women also comprised 30 percent of those employed as general managers, directors, and above.
CECONY employees participated in more than 731,000 hours of skills-based training in the past year. O&R employees had 46,000 hours of skills-based training in 2016. O&R launched three schools to teach linespersons in 2016, with four more planned in 2017. O&R has seen a 65-percent increase in the number of skills-based courses offered locally in the past three years.
Partnerships with colleges and universities allow us to tap into the next generation of employees—those who will help us lead and grow, and develop innovative and creative solutions for our customers. In 2016, CECONY recruited 34 management associates into the Growth Opportunities for Leadership Development program, of which 47 percent were minorities and 50 percent were women.
Con Edison’s 2016 training and professional development initiatives reflect our commitment to attracting and recruiting the best talent as well as continuing the development of our most valuable asset – our people. In January 2017, Con Edison, in partnership with the Center for Energy Workforce Development (CEWD), National Grid, Soldier for Life, and Jefferson Community College, started the Natural Gas Boot Camp for the northeast region—the first of its kind. The boot camp includes eight weeks of training, both instructor-led and hands-on, to help prepare transitioning veterans for entry-level mechanic positions that would meet anticipated hiring needs over the next five years in Gas Operations. This program has been recognized by CEWD as a major accomplishment for the New York State Troops to Energy Jobs consortium.
In 2016, we also launched a summer internship program with Energy Tech High School, a partnership with National Grid, the New York City Board of Education, and LaGuardia Community College in which students can obtain college credits and have an opportunity to attend LaGuardia to pursue an associate’s degree in Electrical Engineering or Mechanical Engineering while learning the skills needed for hard-to-fill technical positions. This is our first internship program since Energy Tech High School opened in September 2013.
