Avangrid Partners with SUNY Broome Community College to Launch New Lineworker Training Program

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02/01/2024 - 12:13 PM

New program is effort to recruit future line workers for this critically important field

More than 100 students have attended information sessions since the program’s launch in late January

ORANGE, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Avangrid, Inc. (NYSE: AGR), a leading sustainable energy company and member of the Iberdrola Group, announced today it has partnered with SUNY Broome Community College and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) to launch a new Lineworker Training Program. The program is off to a strong start and is receiving high interest from students—more than 100 students have already attended information sessions to learn more about enrolling in the program, which focuses on students with no prior industry knowledge.

“I’m very pleased to see so many students wanting to learn more about this great program,” said Pedro Azagra, Avangrid CEO. “Our lineworkers are the foundation of our electric companies. A career in linework takes an immense amount of skill, knowledge, determination, and resiliency, but it also provides a stable, high-paying income and the opportunity to serve your community. We need New York’s best and brightest to join our team, and I know this program will prepare them for success.”

The Lineworker Training Program will prepare students for in-demand skilled positions at a variety of employers. It will combine classroom instruction of both technical and professional skills with hands-on training at the training facility and pole yard of Avangrid’s New York subsidiary, New York State Electric & Gas (NYSEG), in Binghamton. The program will also include a paid internship, and, upon completion, students will have the opportunity to interview for employment with NYSEG.

“Electrical workers are the backbone of what we do at NYSEG,” said Patricia Nilsen, president and CEO of NYSEG and Rochester Gas and Electric. “As winter storms have illustrated for us over the past few years, electrical workers are a resource that we must protect and grow. Not just to restore power after erratic weather, but also to maintain and improve our grid and provide safe and reliable service to the community.”

“The role of the community college is to pivot and grow in order to meet the needs of the local workforce and prepare students for positions that are readily available and in demand,” Dr. Tony Hawkins, President of SUNY Broome Community College, said. “I’m proud that SUNY Broome is carrying out that responsibility by providing education and training for line workers, who provide a vital service throughout our region and state, especially during times of severe weather.”

This partnership with SUNY Broome builds on Avangrid’s commitment to workforce development across the energy industry—the company also has a 10-week Union Scholars Program for high schoolers in partnership with the Utility Workers Union of America in Connecticut and has partnered with the Massachusetts Maritime Academy to establish programs that are supporting the development of a trained and skilled clean energy workforce, including in emerging sectors such as offshore wind.

For more information on the SUNY Broome Lineworker Training Program or to apply, click here.

About Avangrid: Avangrid, Inc. (NYSE: AGR) aspires to be the leading sustainable energy company in the United States. Headquartered in Orange, CT with approximately $41 billion in assets and operations in 24 U.S. states, Avangrid has two primary lines of business: networks and renewables. Through its networks business, Avangrid owns and operates eight electric and natural gas utilities, serving more than 3.3 million customers in New York and New England. Through its renewables business, Avangrid owns and operates a portfolio of renewable energy generation facilities across the United States. Avangrid employs more than 7,500 people and has been recognized by JUST Capital in 2021, 2022 and 2023 as one of the JUST 100 companies – a ranking of America’s best corporate citizens. In 2023, Avangrid ranked first within the utility sector for its commitment to the environment. The company supports the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals and was named among the World’s Most Ethical Companies in 2023 for the fifth consecutive year by the Ethisphere Institute. Avangrid is a member of the group of companies controlled by Iberdrola, S.A. For more information, visit www.avangrid.com.