WASHINGTON, D.C. (Dec. 2, 2020) – Pepco and the District of Columbia's Department of Employment Services (DOES) celebrated the graduation of two cohorts of the Pepco Utility Training School program with the D.C. Infrastructure Academy (DCIA) on Nov. 23. Pepco and DOES held a virtual celebration for the graduates, families and friends to recognize this major achievement. 

In total, 27 participants completed the twelve-week program in 2020 (15 from the June 2020 cohort and 12 from the November 2020 cohort). The 2020 cohorts welcomed four female graduates and 90 percent of the participants represent Wards 7 and 8; of the 27 graduates that successfully completed the program, nine have been offered positions at Pepco and 18 have received job offers with Pepco contractors or other companies committed to employment programs.

"This graduation ceremony marks another significant milestone for the Pepco Utility Training School," said Dave Velazquez, president and CEO of Pepco Holdings. "We thank Mayor Bowser and the D.C. Infrastructure Academy for continuing this successful partnership to expand workforce training opportunities and career services for local residents. This graduation is a celebration of a significant amount of hard work and we view the achievements of each participant as a win for the upcoming generation of the District's critical infrastructure workforce."

Pepco's program aims to prepare District of Columbia residents for careers in the energy industry, highlighting various jobs including cable splicer mechanics, helper transformer testers, meter technicians and more.

"It is a privilege to congratulate these cohorts for building their skills and taking important career-advancing steps, especially during the challenging times of the COVID-19 pandemic," said David Vosvick, vice president of Human Resources for Pepco Holdings. "These participants demonstrated great dedication to learning and through their actions, the local utility industry is now better equipped for the future. We knew this program was something special when it began and with this recent success, we remain committed to pursuing the many benefits it brings to the local community and our future workforce."  

Participants were still well-prepared for their future energy careers despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Pepco's training department and line workers, while remaining dedicated to safely completing work on the frontlines, worked with DCIA to develop a virtual training model used for the June and August cohorts. The hybrid training model was made up of virtual sessions as well as hands-on socially distanced demonstrations at the DCIA facility, including overhead and underground distribution system training and live line truck demonstration.

The training received as part of the DCIA program is directly focused on providing students with the skills and experience necessary to begin working safely on the local energy grid. 

Graduates were presented with certificates of completion along with words of encouragement from graduation ceremony speakers. Providing remarks at the event were Pepco Holdings President, CEO Dave Velazquez, Pepco Holdings Vice President of Human Resources David Vosvick, D.C. Infrastructure Academy Associate Director Arlen Herrell, D.C. Department of Employment Services Director Dr. Unique Morris-Hughes, November 2020 cohort program graduate Antoinette Parish, and Pepco Holdings Senior Workforce Development Specialist Ilana Bowen.

To date, the Pepco Utility Training School program has welcomed three cohorts and graduated more than 50 participants.

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