SECO Energy’s Board of Trustees proudly approved the 2021 SECO Scholarship Program at a recent board meeting. $36,000 in scholarships is available for 12 recipients to receive $3,000 each.

The scholarship program is open to high school seniors who are graduating in May/June 2021. Applicants must live in a home served by SECO Energy and plan to pursue a career in the energy industry. Awardees must also be enrolled full-time in an accredited college, university or vocational/technical school located in Florida by the end of 2021. Qualifying degrees or certifications are in technology, engineering, math or business.

The energy industry is a growing field in Florida and SECO must find new, creative ways to connect with students who could be potential employees to hire a workforce with the technical skills and training required in this competitive field. According to the 2020 U.S. Energy and Employment Report (USEER), Florida currently has 124,954 traditional energy workers statewide – with a large number gearing up toward retirement in the coming years. Of these energy workers, 54,283 are in electric power generation, 18,802 are in fuels and 51,869 are in transmission, distribution and energy storage.

CEO Jim Duncan looks forward to reading about the applicants’ career plans and accomplishments. Duncan stated, “SECO Energy and the electric industry is a great place to plant career roots. Our SECO Scholarship Program is a recruiting tool that introduces us to local students pursuing a career in the growing energy industry. We hope to attract local students who want to engage with SECO for internship opportunities or as a possible future employer.”

Duncan continued, “Not-for-profit electric cooperatives like SECO Energy prioritize community support, environmental stewardship, corporate citizenship and sustainability. SECO offers competitive wages but we also offer a pension plan and healthy 401k match – which is a hard-to-find benefit in this day and age. In addition, SECO provides employees with high-quality, low-cost medical, dental and vision coverage. It’s a great place to work, and we are an essential employer that offers a healthy balance of work and personal life with a generous paid-time-off program, student loan reimbursement and more.”

Applications are available online beginning January 4, 2021. Paper applications are available at SECO’s five Member Service Centers located in Eustis, Groveland, Inverness, Ocala and Sumterville. Completed applications must be received no later than 5 p.m. on Friday, March 26, 2021.

“Like” SECO on Facebook and “follow” @SECOEnergy on Twitter for news releases and cooperative updates.