Pennsylvania Electric Company (Penelec), a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp., has hired 16 graduates of Power Systems Institute (PSI), the company's two-year educational program that helps prepare the next generation of line and substation workers for FirstEnergy's 10 electric utility companies.
The new employees include 10 lineworkers who are recent graduates of the PSI training partnership with Edinboro University's Porecco College in Erie, Pennsylvania. In addition, six new substation electricians graduated from the PSI program at Penn Highlands Community College in Johnstown, Pennsylvania.
"Our Power Systems Institute develops top-quality, well-educated men and women for the electric utility industry," said Scott Wyman, president of Pennsylvania Operations. "We look forward to these graduates joining our workforce to help continue providing safe and reliable electric service for our customers."
The new line employees with their work location and hometowns are:
- Altoona Service Center – Thomas Beyer Jr, Nanty Glo; Jonathan Lee, Knox; Camden Mattocks, Titusville; Benjamin Nutt, Clarendon
- Indiana Service Center – Cody Bailey, Corry; Dakota Chase, Sugar Grove
- Johnstown Service Center – Ryan Bumbarger, Somerset; Marc Reddy, Erie
- Montrose Service Center – Ryan Bartholomew, Towanda; Zane Neubert, Towanda
The new substation employees with their work location and hometowns are:
- Clearfield Cervice Center – Justin Bezek, Johnstown; Alex Capitos, Houtzdale; Zachary Whitcomb, Johnstown
- Lewistown Service Center – Connor Faltz, McVeytown
- Oil City Service Center – Aaron Fenchak, Mineral Point; Jacob Kriebel, St. Petersburg
The PSI curriculum for line employees requires two and a half days each week spent at Porecco College completing academic course work, with the remainder of the week spent at a Penelec training facility in Erie. The PSI curriculum for substation employees requires a half week spent at Penn Highlands Community College completing academic course work, with the rest of the week spent at a FirstEnergy facility in Pennsylvania. All students focus on safe work practices and procedures in the electrical environment. The graduates earned an associate of applied science degree in Electric Utility Technology.
Since the program's inception, FirstEnergy has hired more than 2,400 line workers and substation personnel who completed PSI programs in Maryland, West Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
