ComEd Receives National Recognition for Successful Programs that Prepare Chicago-Area Residents for Good-Paying Jobs

November 22, 2021 at 13:19 PM EST

Award notes strength of ComEd’s CONSTRUCT Infrastructure Academy and partnership with the CPS Chicago Builds program

In recognition of ComEd’s successful job training and job placement programs that serve minority communities and advance equity, the Center for Energy Workforce Development (CEWD) honored ComEd with the Community Partner Award as part of its 2021 Impact Awards for Workforce Development Excellence.

“Our comprehensive workforce development efforts lift up the communities we’re privileged to serve, and we’re honored to receive national recognition of our successful job training and job placement programs,” said Diana Sharpe, vice president of economic and workforce development at ComEd. “This success is a shared success, as our programs have thrived because they are powered by local community partnerships.”

CEWD presented ComEd with its Community Partner Award based on the strength of two of its programs: the CONSTRUCT Infrastructure Academy and its partnership with the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) program Chicago Builds.

ComEd’s CONSTRUCT Infrastructure Academy prepares local, diverse job seekers for entry-level roles in the utility and construction sectors. Since 2013, more than 600 students have completed the Academy with 70 percent of them securing employment shortly after graduating. Most of them are women, African Americans and Latinos who historically have faced barriers to entering these industries.

Through the ComEd Infrastructure Academy, ComEd works with 10 non-profit training affiliates and more than 40 corporate partners to recruit, train and hire candidates. Program graduates are better prepared to enter related fields with the knowledge and training that qualify them for entry-level jobs with good-paying, livable wages.

Chicago Builds is a vocational trades program for CPS juniors and seniors that began in the 2020-2021 academic year. This two-year CPS program provides technical training skills in a variety of fields, including energy. ComEd partners with CPS to provide career exploration sessions and hands-on activities.

For more information or questions about the CONSTRUCT program, contact WorkforceDevelopment@ComEd.com

ComEd is a unit of Chicago-based Exelon Corporation (NASDAQ: EXC), a Fortune 100 energy company with approximately 10 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, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.