The second cohort of 20 Atlantic City residents has completed the 16-week Atlantic City Infrastructure Program, an energy workforce training program for city residents provided by the city of Atlantic City and Atlantic City Electric.
The graduation celebration was held this week at Stockton University’s Atlantic City Academic Center with graduates, their families and numerous officials from the region.
“I was afforded the opportunity to enter into the Atlantic City Infrastructure Program, where I was able to home in on specific skills, which have been vital to my success,” Austin King, one of the graduates, said. “I look forward to my future career and have a true appreciation and attitude of gratitude for how this program has not only affected my life for the better, but as well as my family’s.”
The Atlantic City Infrastructure Program provides residents of Atlantic City a path to careers in the energy field, with a job opportunity for every program graduate with Atlantic City Electric or one of the company’s contractors of choice. The program focuses on members from the underresourced population in Atlantic City, enabling participants to gain utility training and work-ready skills to prepare them for promising careers in the energy field.
Since the announcement of the program in September 2022, ACIP has now graduated 46 participants.
“The Atlantic City Infrastructure Program has already opened the doors for dozens of Atlantic City residents to jumpstart their new careers, with some already earning six figures,” Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small said. “And we expect our new round of graduates will find similar success as they begin the next chapter in their lives. We’re grateful to continue to be able to work with Atlantic City Electric and Pepco Holdings to help make our residents dreams come true through this program.”
“I am proud of all the graduates today, who completed a rigorous curriculum that has prepared them for not just a job, but an exciting career, in the energy industry,” Tyler Anthony, CEO and president of Pepco Holdings, which includes Atlantic City Electric, said. “We have seen firsthand the life-changing impacts ACIP has on the graduates, and they serve as strong example that the talent to power our communities, keep the lights on and transform the future of energy, lies right within their neighborhood.”
Participants in the second cohort took part in the 16-week program, which began Sept. 27, 2023, and attended sessions two days per week for three hours each. Training took place at Atlantic Cape Community College’s Worthington Campus in Atlantic City, which also provided the program education in partnership with the Atlantic County Workforce Development Board. Participants also received a $1,500 stipend.
The Atlantic City Infrastructure Program builds on a broader six-year, $6.5 million South Jersey Workforce Development Program that Atlantic City Electric launched in 2018 in partnership with seven South Jersey community colleges and workforce development boards and builds upon Small’s vision to provide Atlantic City residents the tools they need to build successful careers and thrive in the workplace.
With a goal of providing every graduate a job opportunity with Atlantic City Electric or one of the company’s contractors of choice, the Atlantic City Infrastructure Program is a leading example of a corporate-community partnership that helps educate the state’s future energy workforce, resulting in positive impact on the livelihoods of individuals and families in Atlantic City while supporting the advancement of South Jersey’s economy.
The third cohort is set to begin April 10.
