The program’s career-readiness curriculum, mentorship opportunities, skills-development components, and connections to industry leadership will help high school students in urban communities prepare for evolving and increasingly technical careers in energy. It is expected to launch in seven communities across the country during its first year, with plans to eventually expand to 40 communities while engaging with 1,000 students annually. 

“As the energy industry grows, we must expand access to its career opportunities for all communities,” CEWD Executive Director Missy Henriksen said in a statement. “The UEASP is our commitment to urban youth, offering them a clear pathway to energy careers—from GED to Ph.D.—and giving them the tools to step directly into impactful, sustainable roles in this dynamic sector.” 

The American Association of Blacks in Energy also is supporting the initiative, which is expected to formally launch in Fall 2026. It is one of several ongoing industry efforts to create new talent pipelines and draw students from a variety of backgrounds to an energy industry that is rapidly changing and often in need of technical, specialized skillsets. 

The Entergy Foundation last year provided a $2-million grant to Jackson State University in Mississippi to establish the Critical Power Grid Network Security Lab —an innovation and skills development hub that will help train the skilled cybersecurity workforce that electric companies will depend on in an increasingly digital economy. 

The Exelon Foundation, similarly, has supported the development of dozens of science, technology, engineering, and math centers across the country to help grade-school students develop valuable workforce skills and introduce them to a potential career in energy. 

CEWD data suggests the industry will need to recruit 32 million workers during the next decade to fill new roles and replace vacancies. 

In November, the Exelon Foundation and PECO partnered with the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation (Ripken Foundation) to open a new state-of-the-art center supporting science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) opportunities for students at the Tinicum School outside of Philadelphia.

The center will provide STEM education and training to more than 300 local students and is the latest partnership between Exelon, its local electric companies, and the Ripken Foundation to expand learning opportunities to elementary and middle school students, particularly those in disadvantaged communities.

The Exelon Foundation donated $3 million last year to support the opening of 81 STEM Centers across the country. The Tinicum School’s center is the 27th that Exelon has supported and the first of seven planned for PECO’s service territory.

“Exelon is proud to partner with the Ripken Foundation on this venture because we have been interested and invested in STEM education for a long time, and for good reason,” said EEI Vice Chair Calvin Butler, president and CEO of the Exelon Corporation. “The energy industry is facing some significant challenges—from climate change to cyber security—and we need the skills and expertise that students will gain in a STEM center. Our goal is that these students will one day bring those skills to Exelon.”

Butler attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony with Cal Ripken, Jr., a co-founder of the foundation and a Major League Baseball Hall of Famer, and other officials before attending a demonstration that allowed Tinicum students to show off the new tools and resources available through the STEM center.

“Seeing the students react to the new STEM center in their school is always special,” said Ripken, Jr. “Calvin Butler and the Exelon Foundation have been incredibly generous partners and with their support we have made a tremendous impact on kids here in the Philadelphia area and nationwide.”

Exelon has a long history of supporting STEM education and helping to develop the next generation of the energy workforce. Each summer, the company hosts free, week-long STEM academies in Baltimore, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. Many of these academies have been specifically designed for high school girls from underserved communities. Through its Corporate Scholars program, Exelon also supports students bound for historically black colleges and universities, offering scholarship recipients $25,000 in need-based financial aid each year for four years.

“We believe it’s our responsibility to ensure a better future for all. This guides me every day in my work as CEO,” Butler told Electric Perspectives in a recent profile.

Read more about Butler, Exelon, and the company’s philanthropic work in our Spring 2024 issue.