ComEd to Hire Another 75 Entry-Level Trade Workers to Support Clean Energy Transition

Now through Sept. 7, ComEd is seeking diverse, skilled talent to apply for paid training and full-time work as an overhead helper

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ComEd is encouraging job seekers to apply for new entry-level positions that will play an important role in the clean energy transformation underway in Illinois. Over the next 10 days, ComEd is accepting applications for 75 entry-level overhead helper positions, which provide a path to a full-time union career as a line worker, and an essential part of the team powering communities across northern Illinois. Applicants can apply now on ComEd’s careers page.

The new positions are part of a bold three-year hiring plan announced by ComEd earlier this year to add 500 entry-level positions to meet the demands of the clean energy transition in Illinois. For these roles, ComEd is focused on ensuring that the workforce reflects the diversity of communities we serve by encouraging women and minorities, those traditionally underrepresented in skilled trades roles, to apply for these positions.

“ComEd’s ability to deliver reliable power for 9 million people in our region depends on a skilled workforce that’s ready to take on challenging work to ensure a clean, resilient and bright future for northern Illinois,” said Terence Donnelly, president and COO of ComEd. “To support this transition, ComEd is looking no further than our own communities, and working to ensure more women and minorities have access to training and opportunities to excel in family sustaining careers in our fast-growing field.”

To prepare for the clean energy transition in Illinois, ComEd supports training and job placement programs that help skill the workforce for the thousands of clean energy jobs anticipated in the years ahead. New entry-level craft roles – including jobs such as overhead helpers and construction workers – will play a key role in building and operating a resilient grid that can withstand more frequent severe weather due to climate change and facilitate the rapid growth of renewable energy and electric vehicles.

"The new clean energy law in Illinois will create exciting opportunities to prepare the grid for new EV technologies and to protect us against climate change – all of which must be powered with the help of the men and women of the electric trades," said Terry McGoldrick, President of IBEW Local 15. "Working with ComEd, we are committed to building a diverse talent pipeline to achieve these goals. By expanding access to our apprenticeship training programs, we're working to invite more job seekers to learn and excel at a skilled trade that will be critical to powering communities, and the economy, for years to come."

The overhead helper position and other entry-level union roles in the company offer job seekers training and continued development to eventually prepare to become line workers, and other full-time trades positions within the company. These roles offer a pathway to full-time union work, with most receiving starting pay of $29 an hour, as well as employee benefits such as 401K and family wellness programs.

ComEd is accepting applications for the overhead helper position through September 7, 2022, at 11:59 pm. To be considered, applicants must meet minimum qualifications, including holding a high school diploma or GED equivalent, driver’s license and the ability to earn a commercial driver's license (CDL) permit A. Candidates with overhead line experience, climb or trades school training, military service, or skilled trades experience will be given priority consideration.

Candidates must demonstrate they are prepared for the physical and technical requirements of the job and will enter a 12–18-month process to hone trade and professional skills via a paid apprenticeship training program.

To prepare applicants for success, ComEd offers a wide range of free career prep resources and clinics. Climb clinics hosted by ComEd prepare candidates for the unique rigors of work in the field, which includes repairing and maintaining utility lines and infrastructure on a 24x7 basis. To meet candidates where they are, ComEd has expanded climb clinic sessions to weekends and added additional workshops on interview training and preparing for the Construction and Skilled Trade (CAST) test. Earlier this month, ComEd piloted its first-ever all-female climb clinics – part of an effort to remove stereotypes and create broader opportunity for women to enter the field.

Beyond the career prep resources, ComEd offers a range of in-depth job training programs year-round to prepare talent for growing roles in craft and skilled trades – with programs including the CONSTRUCT Infrastructure Academy, the Dawson Tech Overhead Electrical Line Worker training program, and the new Craft Academy program which just graduated its inaugural cohort. For more on these career readiness programs, please contact [e-mail].

ComEd has also launched a new webpage, www.ComEd.com/CleanEnergyJobs, to provide job seekers information about pathways to craft roles within the company, job requirements, and training programs designed to provide entry-level craft candidates with job readiness skills. For more information about future hiring opportunities at ComEd or to coordinate a job alert based on your skillset, please visit www.exeloncorp.com/careers.​​​

Commonwealth Edison Company (ComEd) is a unit of Chicago-based Exelon Corporation (NASDAQ: EXC), the nation’s leading competitive energy provider, with approximately 10 million customers. ComEd provides service to approximately 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.