MORRISTOWN, N.J., Oct. 16, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- To help recognize "New Jersey Careers in Utilities Week," Jersey Central Power & Light (JCP&L) introduced students enrolled in its Power Systems Institute (PSI) line worker training program and also demonstrated state-of-the-art utility vehicles at an event held today at the company's Farmingdale training facility.
JCP&L President Jim Fakult was joined by New Jersey Lieutenant Governor Kim Guadagno at the event. Several students currently enrolled in JCP&L's PSI program, a workforce development partnership with Brookdale Community College and Raritan Valley Community College, also attended.
"Utilities offer challenging, long-term and good-paying career opportunities for New Jersey residents," said Lt. Governor Kim Guadagno. "By combining learning hands-on utility skills at JCP&L's training facilities with technical coursework at local community college classrooms, PSI is a great example of businesses working with higher education institutions to help fill key line worker and substation electrician jobs."
The event also included a demonstration of some of the highly efficient and cost-effective vehicles the PSI students ultimately will use to help JCP&L maintain its system or help restore power faster if a large-scale outage occurs.
"These PSI students represent an important addition to the JCP&L workforce and will be committed to helping us to continue our efforts to enhance service reliability for our customers," said JCP&L President Jim Fakult. "They will receive training on how to operate standard bucket trucks, but we also have access to several unique vehicles designed to operate in all types of conditions."
The vehicle demonstrations included:
- The Bronto, an aerial truck with a boom and bucket that can extend to 197 feet and is used for work on transmission lines and structures
- The Rolligon, an all-terrain vehicle with large tires specially designed to work in environmentally sensitive areas
- The Pressure Digger, a device for digging in rocky soil conditions
- The aerial saw, a unique tree trimming tool deployed from a helicopter to cost-effectively trim trees in hard to access areas
- JCP&L's Mobile Emergency Command Center
Currently, 53 are students enrolled in JCP&L's PSI program. PSI is a two-year program where graduates will earn an Associate of Applied Science degree with a focus on electric utility technology. Students currently enrolled in the PSI program are on track to graduate in the spring of 2017 and would be available to join the JCP&L workforce.
Information sessions for prospective students for the fall 2016 PSI program will take place on Wednesday, November 11, 2015, from 6-8 p.m. at Brookdale Community College, 765 Newman Springs Road, Lincroft, NJ, and on Tuesday, November 17, 2015, from 6-8 p.m. at Raritan Valley Community College, 118 Lamington Road, Branchburg, NJ. Tuition, required books, lab fees and special clothing and tools will be paid by JCP&L for qualified students. Information about future enrollment in the Power Systems Institute is available at www.firstenergycorp.com/psi or by calling 800-829-6801.
JCP&L is a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE). JCP&L serves 1.1 million New Jersey customers in the counties of Burlington, Essex, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Union and Warren. Follow JCP&L on Twitter @JCP_L, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/JCPandL or online at www.jcp-l.com.
Editor's Note: Photos of JCP&L's "New Jersey Careers in Utilities Week" event are available for download on Flickr.
To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/jcpl-showcases-utility-students-and-versatile-vehicles-at-new-jersey-careers-in-utilities-week-event-300161390.html
SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.
