EPCE News and Information
Energy Education Coalition Expands Partnership with Thomas Edison State College to Include Natural Gas Education Program
Denver, CO – November 11, 2008 – The Energy Providers Coalition for Education (EPCE) has expanded their partnership with Thomas Edison State College to include an online Certificate in Gas Distribution. This Certificate program combines an overview gas utility construction, operations, and maintenance, as well as regulatory and economic impact, incident investigation, and principles of management to provide a well-rounded understanding of this side of the business.
Industry experts forecast that within the next five years approximately half of the energy workforce will be eligible to retire. In addition, the overall demand for energy continues to increase nationwide.
"This anticipated utility workforce shortage will create incredible demand on the energy workforce," said Tom Devine, assistant dean of Thomas Edison State College’s School of Applied Science and Technology. "The college designed this program with a panel of industry experts from EPCE's membership to directly address industry requirements. We are excited that we can provide this program quickly at a time when workforce development is so crucial."
Like all EPCE education programs, this certificate was designed with energy workers in mind with the courses delivered entirely online. Graduates of EPCE-sponsored programs overwhelmingly report that the scheduling flexibility of the online format gave them the ability to pursue an education.
Because they can access their class anytime, anywhere, students can complete their coursework at a time that suits their schedule, even weekends or late at night. This allows students to improve themselves through education while working to support a family and meeting personal commitments.
EPCE members will be able to use this new Certificate to help develop current employees and prepare new employees for various jobs such as gas technicians, underground crew, job designers, measurement specialists, and more.
"This targeted education solution is the result of a true collaboration between Thomas Edison and the industry representatives, and was made possible by the spirit of partnership EPCE encourages," said Harry Anapa, director of utility training at Baltimore Gas and Electric Company. "We now have a new tool in the toolbox to help us address our workforce development issues. Continuing to work together will allow us develop additional tools for both the gas industry and the energy industry at large."
All of the courses in the Gas Distribution Certificate can be applied toward the EPCE-sponsored Bachelor of Science in Applied Science and Technology (BSAST) in Energy Utility Technology also offered by Thomas Edison State College.
About Thomas Edison State College
Thomas Edison State College provides flexible, high-quality, collegiate learning opportunities for self-directed adults. One of New Jersey's 12 senior public institutions of higher education, the College offers associate, baccalaureate and master's degrees in more than 100 areas of study. Students earn degrees through a wide variety of rigorous and high-quality academic methods that can be customized to meet their individual needs. Identified by Forbes magazine as one of the top 20 colleges and universities in the nation in the use of technology to create learning opportunities for adults, Thomas Edison State College is a national leader in the assessment of adult learning and a pioneer in the use of educational technologies. The College is home to The John S. Watson Institute for Public Policy. The New Jersey State Library is an affiliate of Thomas Edison State College. For more information about the College, visit www.tesc.edu.
About the Energy Providers Coalition for Education
EPCE and other industry-specific education programs are administered by CAEL, the Council for Adult & Experiential Learning — dedicated to providing adults better access to education through partnerships with business, government, labor and higher education. EPCE’s additional industry-sponsored education includes online programs in electric power technology, nuclear power technology, electrical engineering, and others. For detailed information on the EPCE coalition and the EPCE-sponsored online programs, visit: www.epceonline.org.