New Nicor academy trains applicants for utility jobs

When she was 18, Virginia Handley's father told her to apply to be a meter reader at Nicor Gas, to which she said, "no way."

Six years later, the 25-year-old Aurora resident is hoping to become just that as a recent graduate of the Nicor Gas Career Academy.

"I didn't see myself walking around reading meters, but now it sounds really interesting," said Handley, who is ready to re-enter the workforce after being a stay-at-home mom.

"The Career Academy is a career move for me. Meter reading is like boot camp - once you learn the business, there are so many more opportunities for advancement."

With a growing need to hire job-ready candidates, Nicor Gas, together with NPL Construction Co. and the Quad County Urban League, developed the Nicor Gas Career Academy, a six-week job-readiness program designed to prepare participants for entry level work in the utility industry, with a focus on natural gas.

According to the Center for Energy Workforce Development, nearly 50 percent of the energy workforce will retire in the next five to 10 years. In fact, Nicor Gas has already experienced an influx of retirements over the past few years and has created a workforce development initiative that includes programs and processes to ensure knowledge is transferred to new employees.

Handley joined 20 of her peers who made up the inaugural class of the Nicor Gas Career Academy on a stage last month during a small graduation ceremony to commemorate completion of the rigorous program.

The curriculum focuses on natural gas operations training, but also integrates core math concepts, safety, technology and employability skills, as well as personal and professional development.

During the training, participants also job shadowed in the Nicor Gas call center to understand the customer experience and in the field alongside meter readers and operations employees.

"The synergy created by this joint venture with Nicor Gas and NPL has the potential to make a tremendous socio-economic impact on the communities that we serve," said Theodia Gillespie, president and CEO of the Quad County Urban League.

"We're very excited about the possibilities and opportunities that will be created for our clients who comprised the inaugural class of the Nicor Gas Career Academy."

An Urban League volunteer, Wesley Strickland's mother told him about the Career Academy. While the 26-year-old stand-up comic kept his classmates laughing, he is serious about starting a career in the utility industry.

"You know what they say to comics: 'Don't quit your day job,'" Strickland joked. "So I started looking for a place to build a career, maybe in business, maybe in marketing; it's rare to find a company where you can do that at."

Nicor Gas employs more than 2,000 energy professionals in a variety of technical, administrative and professional fields.

"The Career Academy is another way we can attract, develop and retain the next generation of talented energy professionals with diverse backgrounds and prepare them for entry level work in the utility industry," said Pat Whiteside, Nicor Gas vice president of business support.

As the Career Academy participants neared graduation from the six-week program, they updated their resumes and prepared for interviews.

"Our hope is that 100 percent of the Career Academy graduates build their energy careers at NPL and Nicor Gas," said Dylan Hradek, NPL senior vice president of the Great Lakes region.

For more information about the Nicor Gas Career Academy, visit nicorgas.com/careeracademy.