JCP&L Celebrates Careers in Utilities Week with Demonstration Event for Public Officials

MORRISTOWN, N.J., Oct. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Jersey Central Power & Light (JCP&L) celebrated "New Jersey Careers in Utilities Week" today with a demonstration event in Morristown for public officials showcasing the special training and equipment needed to help provide safe and reliable electric service to customers.

JCP&L President Jim Fakult and New Jersey Board of Public Utilities Commissioner Joseph Fiordaliso welcomed guests, including municipal officials and community leaders, to a company facility in Morristown. 

Employees from JCP&L's line, substation and meter reading departments participated in skills demonstrations and displayed the equipment they use on a daily basis to safely perform their jobs.  Several employees who graduated from JCP&L's Power Systems Institute Program, a workforce development partnership with Brookdale Community College and Raritan Valley Community College created to train line workers and substation personnel, also attended.

"Careers in Utilities Week offers an opportunity to raise awareness of the wide variety of jobs that are essential to providing safe and reliable utility service to New Jersey residents and businesses," said Commissioner Fiordaliso.  "Many careers in the New Jersey utility sector offer stable employment, and with an estimated 50 percent retirement rate over the next five years, it is imperative that we begin to attract and train the workers of tomorrow to ensure reliable utility service in the future."

The event included:

• Pole climbing demonstrations
• Safety exercises
• Overhead lines and substation equipment demonstrations
• Special aerial truck with a boom and bucket that can extend to 197 feet and is used for work on transmission lines and structures.

"Even as our job market continues to evolve, what doesn't change is that JCP&L line workers and other support personnel always will be needed to ensure that electricity is delivered to customers in a safe and reliable manner," said JCP&L President Jim Fakult.  "By supporting Careers in Utilities Week, we hope prospective employees realize that working for a utility is not just a job, but rather a rewarding career choice, with good benefits, that can be a great source of pride in the communities where they live."

During the event, Fakult announced that JCP&L's Power System Institute Program will be holding information sessions for prospective students for the fall 2017 program in November.  The sessions will take place on Thursday, November 3, 2016, from 6-8 p.m. at Brookdale Community College, 765 Newman Springs Road, Lincroft, N.J.; and on Thursday, November 10, 2016, from 6-8 p.m. at Raritan Valley Community College, 118 Lamington Road, Branchburg, N.J.  Tuition, required books, lab fees and special clothing and tools will be paid by JCP&L for qualifying students.  Information about future enrollment in the Power Systems Institute is available at www.firstenergycorp.com/psi or by calling 800-829-6801.

JCP&L is a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp. FE.  JCP&L serves 1.1 million New Jersey customers in the counties of Burlington, Essex, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Union and Warren.  Follow JCP&L on Twitter @JCP_L, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/JCPandL or online at www.jcp-l.com.

Editor's Note:  Photos of JCP&L's "New Jersey Careers in Utilities Week" event are available for download on Flickr.

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SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.