DTE Energy and the DTE Energy Foundation provide 1,000 summer jobs for young people across Michigan

DETROIT, July 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- As Michigan's economy continues to grow and become more competitive, the ability to find candidates with the right skills and experience remains a challenge for businesses. DTE Energy and the DTE Energy Foundation, the philanthropic arm of DTE Energy, are providing opportunities for 1,000 young adults and teens to obtain the skills and knowledge to fill jobs in Michigan.

While DTE Energy's student intern/co-op program runs throughout the year, hiring increases in the spring to fill summer jobs. The company typically employs an average of 400 students each summer to fill jobs in the gas and electric businesses as well as in engineering, information technology, human resources, supply chain and communications.  Over the past 11 years, more than 3,700 students have been hired into these programs.

"DTE Energy is a leader in workforce development and our summer jobs program exemplifies those efforts," said Larry Steward, senior vice president, Human Resources. "By providing students with meaningful learning experiences and on-the-job skills training, we are helping prepare them to enter the workforce and ultimately building a strong talent pipeline for DTE and the state of Michigan."

Approximately 50 percent of workers in Michigan's energy sector will retire over the next five to seven years, making it vital to train the next generation of employees.

Beyond DTE's student programs, since 2003, the DTE Energy Foundation has donated more than $4.5 million to support summer employment initiatives, impacting more than 2,000 young people.  This year, the Foundation has provided nearly $900,000 in grants to fund nearly 600 work opportunities with more than 50 nonprofits in and around Detroit and Greater Michigan from June through August 2016 by partnering with:

• Grow Detroit's Young Talent to provide jobs for nearly 400 people between the ages of 14 and 24 who are working in Detroit.
• Greening of Detroit to fund 20 summer jobs for youth in Detroit.
• City Connect Detroit to support 75 summer jobs for youth in Pontiac, Inkster, Ypsilanti and Highland Park.
• And on the west side of the state, United Way Lakeshore to pay wages for 100 youth enrolled in the summer program in Muskegon, Newaygo, Oceana, Kent, Mecosta, and Lake Counties.

"The DTE Energy Foundation sees this as an investment in the future of our state. It's an investment in our children, businesses and communities," said Faye Nelson, vice president of DTE Energy and board chair and president of the DTE Energy Foundation. "Through the summer jobs initiative, we are able to provide education, real-life experiences and opportunities to young adults that positively impact their lives as well as the communities where we live and serve." 

About the DTE Energy Foundation  

The DTE Energy Foundation is the philanthropic arm of DTE Energy, continuing the legacy of community support and involvement of its electric and natural gas utilities, which serve 2.2 million electric customers in Southeast Michigan and 1.2 million natural gas customers in Michigan. As one of Michigan's leading corporate citizens, DTE Energy is a force for growth and prosperity in the 450 Michigan communities it serves in a variety of ways, including philanthropy, volunteerism and economic progress. http://www.dteenergy.com/foundation.

About DTE Energy

DTE Energy DTE is a Detroit-based diversified energy company involved in the development and management of energy-related businesses and services nationwide. Its operating units include an electric utility serving 2.2 million customers in Southeastern Michigan and a natural gas utility serving 1.2 million customers in Michigan. The DTE Energy portfolio includes non-utility energy businesses focused on power and industrial projects, natural gas pipelines, gathering and storage, and energy marketing and trading. Information about DTE Energy is available at dteenergy.com, twitter.com/dte_energy and facebook.com/dteenergy/.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160719/391198

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140924/148236

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/dte-energy-and-the-dte-energy-foundation-provide-1000-summer-jobs-for-young-people-across-michigan-300301356.html

SOURCE DTE Energy; DTE Energy Foundation