Eight junior- and senior-level students from Amarillo will get a jump on their development for future jobs this summer through a job-shadowing program at Xcel Energy. On June 2, Xcel Energy welcomed the students, from Amarillo Independent School District campuses, into service centers and power plants for a summer of on-the-job training.

The students, who already had been hired, will be working with skilled employees in power plants, on line crews, in the substation department, in the warehouse, and in the transportation department.

“This program provides a critical linkage between schools and business,” said Don Taylor, consultant with Xcel Energy’s Human Resources group in Amarillo. “It enhances the work our schools are doing, and hopefully will encourage these students to dream of technical careers right here at home.”

Xcel Energy developed the program in partnership with LeAnn Estep, AISD’s director of Career and Technical Education, and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 602. Each group is committed to creating a broader understanding of technical careers and the electric utility business as a whole.

“This is one of many steps we hope to take, as a company, to better prepare our young people for productive careers,” Taylor said. “Along the way, we hope these students have fun and we can learn from each other.”