SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) was recognized today for its
sustained employer support of National Guard and Reserve service by the Employer
Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), a Department of Defense
office. The ESGR presented PG&E with the Extraordinary Employer Support
Award during a ceremony at the company’s Diablo Canyon Power Plant in
recognition of the plant’s large contingent of veteran employees.
“Ever since World War I, PG&E has had programs to hire and train
veterans and help them develop in their careers. It’s simply the right
thing to do, and over the years veterans consistently have been key
contributors in better serving our customers. We’re very proud to be
acknowledged by the ESGR for supporting our National Guard and Reserve
employees,” said PG&E Corporation Chairman and CEO Tony Earley.
“The discipline, dedication and passion shown by veterans have played a
big role in operating our Diablo Canyon Power Plant. It’s an honor to
have the ESGR present PG&E the Extraordinary Employer Support Award at
Diablo Canyon. We appreciate having this acknowledgement of those who
have dedicated and sacrificed so much and are now serving our 16 million
customers,” said Senior Vice President of Generation and Chief Nuclear
Officer Ed Halpin, who was also a U.S. Navy submarine officer and
graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy.
PG&E has been a long-standing leader in employing and supporting
veterans. For the last five years, the company has been ranked among the Top-100
Military Friendly Employers by G.I. Jobs Magazine. Last year, Military
Times included PG&E for the first time on its list of best
employers for veterans.
PG&E introduced the “1,000
Careers Project” last year whose goal is to hire 1,000 veterans into
PG&E jobs over the next eight years. Last year, PG&E hired 223 veterans
and through Sept. 30, the company is more than a third of the way to its
objective. The company is on pace to achieve the 1,000 veterans hired
standard in five years.
A program that has played a major role in helping PG&E attain this
target is the PowerPathway™
program. Over the last three years, 255 of the 443 graduates (58
percent) are veterans with 75 percent of them (190) having been hired by
PG&E and within the utility industry.
The PowerPathway training network is comprised of community college,
community organization, workforce investment board, university and
educational partners who collaborate with PG&E to provide training in
response to California’s growing energy workforce needs.
PowerPathway has received praise from Vice
President Joe Biden. The program held its first cohort specifically
for active
duty service members earlier this year in Washington state. And last
year, PowerPathway graduated its first
active military member.
PG&E’s Veterans Employee Resource Group (ERG) has one of the company’s
strongest chapters in Diablo Canyon. Out of the nearly 1,200 members,
230 of them (19 percent) are located at Diablo Canyon. The Veterans ERG
was founded in 2011 for veterans and their allies who act on behalf of
veteran interests within the company and the service area.
PG&E has previously received honors from the ESGR. Last year, Earley was
given the Patriot
Award, presented to a supervisor for their support of employee
reservists through various measures—including allowing for flexible
schedules, providing time off before and after deployment, caring for
families and granting leaves of absence. He also received the Seven
Seals Award, which recognizes individual or organizational
achievements which back the ESGR mission.
The company has also been recognized by the ESGR with three other
awards: Statement
of Support (2014) for its support of employees in the Guard and
Reserve; Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award (2003), the
highest recognition given by the U.S. Government to employers for their
backing of employees who serve; and the Pro Patria Award (2002), the
highest award from a state ESGR committee given to companies who’ve
provided the greatest encouragement to Guard and Reserve employees
through their leadership and practices that make it easier for them to
participate.
About PG&E
Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E
Corporation (NYSE:PCG), is one of the largest combined natural gas
and electric energy companies in the United States. Based in San
Francisco, with more than 20,000 employees, the company delivers some of
the nation’s cleanest energy to nearly 16 million people in Northern and
Central California. For more information, visit www.pge.com/
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Source: Pacific Gas and Electric Company