ComEd, City Colleges work together to provide local residents training needed to compete for growing energy jobs

Today, ComEd joined the City Colleges of Chicago (CCC) and community leaders to celebrate the latest class of graduates of the Dawson Technical Institute (DTI) Overhead Electrical Line Worker (OELW) program and to announce an investment of up to $130,000 in scholarships available for the program.

ComEd and CCC launched the OELW training program at DTI in 2006 to help expand access to specialized training needed to support job seekers pursuing roles in the electrical and utility trades. For 19 years, the OELW program has prepared more area residents for good-paying jobs, graduating more than 550 students, with more than half of those hired into full-time jobs with ComEd. To meet growing demand for skilled line workers, ComEd is increasing its investments in a scholarship fund, providing up to $6,500 per student to help reduce tuition and related expenses, in an effort to help more area residents pursue accelerated training at DTI OELW, Chicago’s only certified line worker training program. The scholarship is offered to graduates of ComEd workforce development training programs to advance their knowledge and skills.

“ComEd is proud to continue building on our longstanding partnership with the City Colleges of Chicago to make training for rewarding careers in our industry even more accessible than before,” said David Perez, Executive Vice President and COO at ComEd. “With jobs in the utility and construction space in high demand, ComEd is committed to working with the City College and other partners in the region to invest in critical training programs to prepare our very own diverse, local talent for these jobs of the future.”

The OELW advanced certificate program at DTI delivers industry-aligned training for those pursuing roles as overhead electricians or electrical line workers. ComEd created an OELW scholarship fund in 2021 to help remove financial barriers to enrolling in the program, steadily increasing its investment in the program since then. Eligible candidates stand to earn scholarships of $5,500 for the cost of tuition and $1,000 to cover other education expenses.

“Today’s Dawson Tech OELW graduation celebrates the major accomplishments of our students and our incredible partnership with ComEd that continues to create access for more local residents to pursue training for in-demand roles at our state-of-the-art training facility,” said Chancellor Juan Salgado, City Colleges of Chicago. “With more ComEd scholarships now available, together, we’re expanding opportunity and building a stronger, more inclusive pipeline to careers that offer family-sustaining wages and job growth.”

Since its inception, the OELW class has helped recruit and train local workers for critical roles in the energy sector. More than 70 percent of all past participants are diverse. This year’s class is one of the most diverse so far, with 95 percent being people of color. OELW will continue to play a key role in cultivating a talent pipeline needed to support the fast-growing clean energy sector, which is expected to create as many as 150,000 new jobs in Illinois alone by 2050.

Participation in the OELW program can provide job seekers a competitive edge in applying for employment at ComEd, including the role of a line worker, which offers starting hourly wages of nearly $29, as well as employee benefits such as 401k and family wellness programs.

Recognized for providing top-quality job training, DTI prepares students through relevant competency-based instruction and a state-of-the-art training facility. A utility pole yard is used to practice safely climbing poles, one of the most challenging requisites to become a line worker, and a fitness center helps students to improve their strength and stamina for the physical demands of electrical trades roles. Students also have access to a wide range of student resources, including tutoring, mental health support, one-on-one advising, and more.

Joel Garcia is a 2024 DTI OELW graduate who completed the program with the help of the ComEd OELW scholarship and is now employed full-time with the company. “Participating in ComEd’s CONSTRUCT Infrastructure Academy training program prepared me with essential trades skills and earned me the DTI OELW scholarship, which helped me relieve the financial stress of pursuing an advanced certificate,” said Joel. “My advanced certificate helped me land my current role as an Overhead Helper at ComEd, a direct pathway to becoming a line worker, my dream job.”

The OELW program will soon begin recruitment for the 20^th year of the program, beginning January 2026, and residents from across the region can learn more about how to apply at Apply.CCC.Edu. To learn more about the ComEd OELW scholarship program and other workforce training programs visit ComEd.com/CleanEnergyJobs.

About ComEd

ComEd is a unit of Chicago-based Exelon Corporation (NASDAQ: EXC), a Fortune 200 energy company serving more than 10.7 million electricity and natural gas customers – the largest number of customers in the U.S. ComEd powers the lives of more than 4 million customers across northern Illinois, or 70 percent of the state's population. For more information visit ComEd.com, and connect with the company on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X, and YouTube.

About City Colleges of Chicago

City Colleges of Chicago is the city’s most accessible higher education engine of socioeconomic mobility, empowering all Chicagoans to take part in building a stronger and more just city. Learn more about City Colleges of Chicago at www.ccc.edu or click here.

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