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Biofuels: The Promise of the Next Generations

Feb 10 2010 - 1:00 PM Eastern - Your location

The second wave of biofuels such as cellulosic ethanol, algae and others bypass the food vs. fuel controversy and are on the cusp of commercialization. This webinar will review the latest developments in the advanced biofuel space with leading companies more...

Conducting a distributed chorus

Feb 17 2010 - 12:00 Eastern - Your City

Join Intelligent Utility managing editor Kate Rowland, along with a panel from PHI including Rob Stewart, manager of technology evaluation and implementation, and Todd McGregor, AMI director, for an interactive discussion about this company's work to build a more intelligent more...

21st Century T&D: Building the Transmission Piece of Smart Grid

Feb 18 2010 - 12:00 Eastern - Your City

Join industry leaders and Marty Rosenberg, Editor-in-Chief of EnergyBiz magazine, for an interactive discussion about the critical relationship between transmission and distribution (T&D) investment and smart grid success. As the energy enterprise gets smarter toward the consumer end with smart more...

Transforming the Electrical Grid: Addressing Transformation Strategies to Implementing A Smart Grid

Feb 25 2010 - 3:00-4:00pm Eastern - Your City

This webcast should be attended by those individuals that are responsible for identifying, planning and evaluating Smart Grid solutions, including those that empower and engage consumers and are easily assimilated with existing or new technology and business processes. more...

Smart Grid Revolution

Feb 18 2010 - Feb 19 2010 - AUSTIN, TX - USA

ACI's Smart Grid Revolution February 18-19, 2010 A two day strategic event bringing together utility professionals, government & state officials & consultants involved in deployment of the smart grid. To learn strategies which will improve energy efficiency programs & operations, more...

EnergyBiz Leadership Forum 2010: Energy's Emerging Architecture

Feb 28 2010 - Mar 2 2010 - Washington, DC

In 2009, a global economic meltdown collided with an energy crisis to turn the world on its ear. In the United States we've witnessed an unprecedented spending on energy resource development and infrastructure. As a result, a new energy architecture more...

CERAWeek 2010

Mar 8 2010 - Mar 12 2010 - Houston, TX - USA

CERAWeek, IHS CERA's 29th Executive Conference, is recognized as a leading forum offering insight into the energy future. Each year senior policymakers, energy and power executives, and financial and technology leaders from over 55 countries engage with CERA experts in more...

2nd Annual Thin Film Solar Summit Europe

Mar 17 2010 - Mar 18 2010 - Berlin Germany

The conference will provide a comprehensive analysis of the thin film industry and its key challenges in an interactive manner. Leading companies will share their experiences through panel debates and high-level presentations. A great opportunity to network with the whole more...

Gas and Electric Business Understanding Seminar

Feb 24 2010 - Feb 25 2010 - New York, NY - USA

Gas and Electric Business Understanding provides a comprehensive overview of the natural gas and electric industries. Position yourself for career success by gaining a solid understanding of how each business works, including key physical, market and regulatory aspects, as well more...

Gas Business Understanding Seminar

Mar 1 2010 - Mar 2 2010 - Houston, TX - USA

Gas Business Understanding provides a comprehensive overview of the natural gas industry. Position yourself for career advancement by gaining a solid understanding of how the gas business works including key physical, market, and regulatory aspects and how market participants navigate more...

Electric Business Understanding Seminar

Mar 3 2010 - Mar 4 2010 - Houston, TX - USA

Electric Business Understanding provides a comprehensive overview of the electric industry. Position yourself for career advancement by gaining a solid understanding of how the electric business works including key physical, market, and regulatory aspects and how market participants navigate this more...

Gas Market Dynamics Seminar

Mar 3 2010 - Mar 4 2010 - Houston, TX - USA

Gas Market Dynamics offers participants an in-depth understanding of North American natural gas markets and how they function. Enhance your career by furthering your knowledge of market structure, supply and demand, services offered in gas markets, and how various participants more...

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Creating a Talent Pool: Workforce Development
7.28.09   Susan Story, President and CEO, Gulf Power

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    Interested in this topic? Need more information? Energy Central has created a complete information service focused only on Mobile Workforce Management. There is no better way to stay informed. Get more information on Mobile Workforce Management today!
    The need for a resourceful workforce is a very real issue facing the energy industry. We lament that our colleges and universities aren't producing enough science, technology, energy and math (STEM) graduates. Just as critical, too few people coming out of high schools, community colleges, and technical schools possess the strong math, science and analytical skills key to being successful skilled technicians and technical support professionals.

    So, the real question is this: Do we sit back and wait for the system to deliver the talent we need, or do we recognize that this is a critical part of our staffing and workforce development investment and help develop the skilled workforce we need for the future?

    Gulf Power, a subsidiary of Atlanta-based Southern Company, has sharpened its focus to bring much-needed additional resources to hands-on, interactive programs that excite students about science, technology, engineering, math and energy. Our holistic approach includes awareness and preparedness for energy and other STEM-oriented careers at all educational levels. It ensures that we -- and our regional economy -- will have deep talent pipelines for the high-wage occupations our region strives to attract and retain.

    Awareness begins at the elementary school level through the I LOVE Science program coordinated through the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition. As part of this program, which was cofounded by Gulf Power, each month company employees engage fifth-grade students in science activities that help boost interest in this area at a time that, as research shows, interest in science may begin to wane.

    To keep their interest, students must be engaged in hands-on, project-based learning. Our strong sponsorship of the BEST robotics program and of FIRST robotics is founded in this belief. We are also offering our first middle school summer camp -- Get into Energy! -- at the University of West Florida this summer. How exciting to see gymnasiums filled to capacity with cheering students and cheerleaders -- all for an academic and technical competition. These highly competitive, arena sports-like programs give teams of students from middle and high schools an opportunity to learn engineering design, construction, communications and teamwork -- all while having fun.

    Our talent development programs are focused at the high school level and are anchored by a Gulf Power Academy. Implemented in 2001 at the West Florida High School of Advanced Technology in Pensacola, the academy raises awareness of and interest in Gulf Power and electric utility careers and prepares students for employment following high school or college graduation. This program helps students understand the relevance of their academic courses to the real world of work. Based on the National Center for Construction Education & Research Core and Electrical Curriculum, the program features guest instructors from Gulf Power and multiple field trips to our facilities, and boasts the same academic rigor as top preparatory schools while adding to the mix a real laboratory and hands-on learning component.

    Also included is a mentoring program that pairs a student interested in a particular field of interest with an appropriate Gulf Power employee through graduation and beyond. The program culminates in the senior year with ACE, Advanced Career Experience, wherein students are given the opportunity to actually train and work at a Gulf Power facility. Successful students graduate from the Gulf Power Academy with their high school diploma, 15 hours of college credit, test-qualified on industry pre-employment tests, and with an NCCER credential valued by the electric utility sector.

    Approximately 50 percent of these graduates go straight to college full time, while others land positions at Gulf Power and take advantage of tuition reimbursement programs to continue their education while working as line or power plant technicians.

    Raising educators' understanding about energy careers is also imperative. Through programs such as Educators-in-the-Workplace, guidance counselors and academic teachers become advocates for careers and educational programs that prepare students for the energy field. For example, through the daylong Math in Energy program launched in 2009, high school and college math instructors learn how math is utilized in energy careers, enabling them to teach math lessons in the context of our industry.

    By implementing these career awareness and talent development programs, we have become an advocate for expanding students' options for rigorous career and technical education that is aligned with industry standards. As we cannot do this alone, Southern Company and Gulf Power have played a leadership role in creating the Center for Energy Workforce Development, the Florida Energy Workforce Consortium and other state energy workforce consortia in the region.

    These collaborative efforts between the energy industry, education, and workforce boards give us an opportunity to partner to accelerate the implementation of energy career awareness and talent development programs -- all without reinventing the wheel. No longer can business and industry be partners in education through only financial contributions. The time has come for us all to be actively engaged in developing education policy, programs and curricula that prepare students to become the talented individuals who drive our regional economies. Our future depends on it.

    Subscribe to EnergyBiz magazine today.
    EnergyBiz magazine is the thought-leading, award-winning publication of the emerging power industry. This article originally appeared in the July/August 2009 issue.

    For information on purchasing reprints of this article, contact Tim Tobeck ttobeck@energycentral.com.
    Copyright 2010 CyberTech, Inc.
     
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    Readers Comments

    Date Comment
    Ferdinand E. Banks
    7.28.09
    Almost too good to be true. Makes me think that in a couple of years I can start going to the conferences again, and find people who not only can add and subtract, but have some kind of insight into energy economics.

    nabil hamdi
    7.29.09
    File Name: (WIND):

    I may turn you the world leader in: (Wind/wave/tide)-technologies. =============================================== Dipl. Engineer Nabil Mostafa

    Birth date 27th Nov. 1939 E-mail nabicopter@gmail.com

    (Scientific inventions)_: Adopt, patent, finance, produce & market:

    Engineering/Aerospace/ Helicopters/Airframes/ [for Marine, and land: 100++MW highest efficiency environmentally friendly low speed giant diesel units] /Naval/Submarines/Fisheries/OffshoreOil/Automotive/Transportation/ Bikes/Defense-Military/Civil/Snow-Roofs/ Shore breakwater/Ultimate piles and Diaphragms/Fast deep pier caissons/ Flood Rescue Countermeasures- Integrator/Structures/Renewables/Electrodynamics/ Hydrodynamics/New Sports of Olympic Tendency/Clubs/Entertainment/House Hold stuffs/Tourism/Musical-instruments/Toys/Arts/Collectibles/some rural and urban development concepts/handicapped-some needy gadget/Science-Museums/Cartography/sustainability/etc.

    =============================================== Very new concepts and design principles to ideally harvest (Wind power): (HAWT) and (VAWT), featuring all: -------------------------------------------------------------------- -Extraordinary generator (design/construction)-principles.

    -Slip Rings (sparkless), durable/reliable

    -Inherently highly-(mitigated/damped) noise levels.

    -Highly-resilient (gear-meshing)-principles: (Design/construction/materials).

    -plenty modifications for the existing giant multi-MW turbines.

    -New (blades): Both for Windturbines and (Helicopters main rotor blades): (Theory, design, construction, and materials).

    -Regulation Methods: (VP, Stall, brake, yaw and Sail).

    -New (Nacelle-Theory).

    -New (Hub-Theory).

    -New Transmission Concepts

    -Distributed-(peak-peckers): (integrated-complexes) theory/design.

    - (Lightning arresters) for the park: (new theory).

    -plenty hurricane Protection concepts.

    -New Anemometry Principles and Schemes.

    -plenty designs of giant: Meteorological-(down-swinging poles).

    -Hybrid-(OWC): Oscillating Water-Column Principles

    -OWC: modern designs of: air-Tunnels and airturbines.

    -Wind-powered-vehicles: [Paved-Land, ice/sand, marine and amphibious]: For (Sports, competition, entertainment and amusement).

    - (Autonomous Ocean Wave Energy Converters).

    - (Wind/Wave/Tide-currents) Energy Converters

    -Several [Modern Renewable Energy Schemes]: Could be fulfilled at Shipbuilders and sheet metal fabricators As an added new business, And to multiply the number of players in the market, Ex-shed production lines.

    -Abandoned offshore platforms: TLP, and Spars, turned into: (Wave/wind)-unprecedented Energy Converter concepts, Plus (Tourism/scientific research) -Visits

    -Ditto; for my highly developed and engineered Integrated Shoreline-Breakwater Designs: (the same as above)

    -Miniaturized (toy-sized) turbines, inviting brand toy Producers to supply: (Global science museums)-market industry type, And collectibles. Also standing as economical demonstrators For the mother very new prototypes-concepts of my Invention items, and for International events.

    - (CCS): Carbon Capture and Storage under seafloor: Extraordinary modern gas pumping system: High efficiency, durable, Fast wear compensators/adjusters

    -Seafloor Multi-phase Pumping System, durable, Automatic Adjustment, handles mixed percentages at once of: Oil, gas, water, high percentage of sand safely, than Other existing pump types ============================================= (((TECHNOLOGIES of the coming future MAY ACT NOW))) I may afford a single Windturbine unit concept of generation capacity unprecedented, over: (10++ MW): onshore/offshore applications. ====================================================== Any of my items holding the name as existing counterparts but will be fully different in every thing like if you try to find the difference between a bicycle and a boat. How could you compare?! =============================================== E-mail nabicopter@gmail.com

    nabil hamdi
    7.29.09
    plenty windturbines and waveturbines extraordinary concepts will die soon with my death, no (sponsors/incubators) for like projects may be found on that (neglected greenless yellowished and smoky earth)

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