| Like many other energy companies, FirstEnergy Corp is facing a wave of retirements and actively recruiting replacements, Peggy Breetz explains. As FirstEnergy's resourcing manager, Breetz is involved in workforce planning, recruiting, relocation, contingent labor and outplacement.
At some of the diversified energy company's plants, employment has been relatively stable since the 1980s, Breetz says. Now long-time staffers are retiring, and could take twenty to thirty years of experience with them.
"We're going to hire new people and train them on our systems from scratch," Breetz says. "We'll rely on our progression programs to make sure the retiring employees pass on their knowledge to the next generation."
The company is seeking a mix of recent grads and more experienced folks. Recently separated military members are prime targets, Breetz notes. "The military has been a wonderful source for certain skill sets. The combination of training, discipline and decision-making that's taught in the military has been successful for us, too."
For example, "They flourish as electrical distribution dispatchers," she says. "Their military training helps them keep focused in challenging, high-stress situations."
FirstEnergy's subsidiaries and affiliates are involved in the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity. They also offer energy management and other energy-related services.
FirstEnergy's seven electric utility operating companies comprise the nation's fifth-largest investor-owned electric system, serving 4.4 million customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
Besides coal-fired plants, there are combustion-turbine natural-gas plants and three nuclear power plants in the system. Each type of power has its own characteristics, and so the workforce acquires varied skills and experience.
The company is mainly seeking EEs, MEs, ChEs, CEs and some computer engineers.
This January FirstEnergy president and CEO Anthony J. Alexander officially launched an intern and co-op recruiting initiative, making college recruiting a priority, Breetz says. Currently there are about 100 co-ops and interns, mostly in the Akron and Cleveland areas. The company would like to see the program grow to 300 students.
Last summer FirstEnergy kicked off a mentoring program to help the interns and co-ops transition into full-time employment.
Since newcomers tend to be more diverse than the company's maturing workforce, FirstEnergy is setting up a number of affinity groups, including the Young Professionals and the Society of Black Professionals. A diversity council is also in the works, and Breetz notes that several women in key plant management and supervisory positions serve as role models for new female recruits.
Ongoing education is encouraged at FirstEnergy: formal degree programs and other types of outside training as well as inside training. The company will reimburse employees for applicable degrees, Breetz says. There's also a plant-level incentive program to help engineers get their PEs.
The company does not apply a "one size fits all" approach to work/life balance, Breetz notes. Instead, "We try to take a holistic look at it. You want to make sure that people have a balance, and that's one of the things we teach our supervisors to look for."
FirstEnergy is also concerned with community involvement. Current CEO Alexander has a wide range of community interests and affiliations, and former CEO Peter Burg was instrumental in building a new Red Cross headquarters in Akron. He also headed up a record-setting United Way campaign.
Many employees participate in the Ohio Reads program, helping out at local schools. There are similar programs in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and the company's community initiatives department coordinates efforts in each state.
The FirstEnergy Foundation provides funds to those in need, including a major contribution to tsunami victims. The company is also active in Habitat for Humanity, and is one of Ohio's largest contributors to Harvest for Hunger.
"If you can point to things that you're involved with in the community," Breetz comments, "I think that says a lot for a person and for a company."
D/C
FirstEnergy Corp
www.firstenergycorp.com
|
Headquarters: |
Akron, OH |
|
Employees: |
14,000 |
|
Revenues: |
$12 billion annually |
|
Business: |
Diversified energy |
|
|
|
