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SECO Energy Foundation Announces Scholarship Program for Energy Industry Students

The SECO Energy Foundation proposes $36,000 in scholarships for students interested in pursuing STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) related careers in the energy industry. Scholarships are funded by the newly established SECO Energy Foundation, a 501c3 program previously known as Pennies from Heaven.

 

The Foundation Board of Directors is comprised of a member from each of the nine Trustee Districts to review and approve or deny scholarship and grant requests based on SECO Energy’s strategic initiatives, needs in the community, balance among members served, and other ranking factors determined on a grant score matrix.

 

The 2023 SECO Scholarship Program may award up to 12 recipients to receive a $3,000 scholarship each, subject to the Foundation Board of Directors’ approval. Scholarship winners may also be eligible for ongoing financial support and/or internship opportunities from SECO Energy throughout their studies.

 

The scholarship program is open to high school seniors graduating in May/June 2023. 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 by the end of 2023 in a vocational/technical school or accredited college/university located in Florida. Qualifying certifications or degrees are in technology, engineering, math or business. Applicants must apply through the new, streamlined online application process at SECOEnergy.com>Foundation banner>Scholarship Application. The deadline to apply for a scholarship is March 24, 2023.

 

The SECO Energy Foundation Board of Directors will determine scholarship winners during the April 27 Board Meeting. The winners will be notified via email.

 

SECO Energy is hiring and wants to connect with students who are potential employees through its Foundation’s Scholarship Program. According to the 2021 U.S. Energy and Employment Report (USEER), Florida currently employs 113,766 energy workers statewide. With an aging workforce and the number of employees needed to sustain the electric power generation and infrastructure in the energy sector, it is imperative SECO Energy recruits a steady stream of applicants to fill the requirement in this growing sector.

 

CEO Curtis Wynn encourages students to pursue a career in the energy industry. Wynn stated, “The SECO Energy Foundation Scholarship Program is a recruiting tool that helps us attract local students entering the energy field. The energy industry and SECO Energy are hiring bright, career-minded individuals for positions that offer competitive wages, quality benefits and life/work balance. We hope to engage students who want hands-on experience through paid-internship opportunities, our apprenticeship program or as a new employee on one of our dynamic teams.”

 

Wynn continued, “As a not-for-profit electric cooperative, SECO Energy prioritizes community support, environmental stewardship, corporate citizenship and sustainability. SECO provides employees with a pension plan and a robust 401k match. We offer high-quality, low-cost medical plans, dental and vision coverage and a generous paid-time-off program. SECO is an essential employer offering internal advancement opportunities in fields like electric vehicle charging and solar energy.”

 

Ready to apply for employment today? Visit Careers at SECOEnergy.com to view open positions and set notifications for new postings. “Like” SECO Energy on Facebook and follow @SECOEnergy on Twitter for prize drawings, news releases, and severe weather alerts affecting SECO Energy’s service territory. Manage your outage notification preferences at StormCenter. To see reliability and expansion projects in your area, visit our new System Improvement Map. To learn more about SECO Energy as a not-for-profit cooperative, visit SECOEnergy.com > Your Co-op > About.

 

SECO Energy is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

 

SECO Supports STEM-Focused Fifth Annual Youth Energy Academy

On June 20 and 21, SECO Energy along with Duke Energy and Ocala Electric Utilities partnered to bring the Fifth Annual Youth Energy Academy to Marion County teens. Industry experts created an environment for students to explore and discover careers in the energy industry. The event was held at the College of Central Florida’s Hampton Center and Ocala Electric Services.

 

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, more than 40 percent of the current workforce in the electric and natural gas utilities will retire within five years. The average age of energy industry employees is over 50. Marion County Schools, the CEP, SECO Energy, Ocala Electric Utilities, Duke Energy and Clay Electric realizing the need for future energy industry employees assisted in forming the Power Generation Academy (PGA) at Dunnellon High School. PGA Instructor Don Slocum dropped by the Youth Energy Academy to provide the students’ enrollment and program information.

 

Employees from SECO, Duke and Ocala Electric volunteered countless hours teaching, presenting and sharing their knowledge and experience with this year’s Youth Energy Academy students. Representatives from Siemens, College of Central Florida, Boys & Girls Club, CLM CareerSource, Lockheed Martin, Cheney Brothers and the three electric utility providers worked together to make this event an education success for attendees.

 

At this year’s two-day event, students gained essential knowledge related to the array of jobs, careers and occupational requirements in the energy field. Student activities covered a variety of subjects such as how electricity travels from the generation plant to homes demonstrated by Duke Energy’s Engineer Derick Farfan, and a live demonstration by Duke Energy’s Ronnie Bailey of restoring power during an outage. Students learned the difference between soft and hard skills via a presentation from Heaven Colon, CLM CareerSource, and delved into high-skill, high-wage careers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) by taking a closer look at robotics. Students also met Forest High School EMIT program students – EMIT stands for Engineering and Manufacturing Institute of Technology.

 

The students were mesmerized by the Tesla Model 3 electric vehicle (EV) driven to the Academy by a Southern Alliance of Clean Energy (SACE) representative. A surprise visit from NFL Steelers draft pick Ulysees Gilbert III, his brother Uriah Gilbert who plays for Bethune Cookman University, and a previous youth energy academy student, Maurice Gilbert, who is currently a student at Florida A&M University provided the teens with substantial life coaching skills and drove home the importance of time management skills. The Gilberts reminded the participants that attending the Academy is a valuable investment in themselves.

 

On day two, attendees toured the City of Ocala electric utility operation center and water treatment plant. Utility Director Mike Poucher demonstrated the effects of texting while driving through a presentation of car accidents that involve utility poles and how to exit a vehicle safely after an accident. Participants also rode in bucket trucks and learned about Ocala’s fiber-optic internet system. Finally, participants learned about drones and how they are used in the energy industry.

 

As a supporter of STEM-based projects, SECO was an event sponsor and also provided funding for transportation expenses to the Boys and Girls Club that bussed the students for their exploration tours. SECO Energy CEO Jim Duncan stated, “The Youth Academy aligns with two key cooperative principles – Education, Training and Information and Concern for Community. The energy field offers a multitude of diverse careers just waiting for talented candidates to apply. Participating in youth education programs gives SECO a hand in crafting its future workforce and offers local, talented youngsters employment opportunities close to home and family.”

 

The Florida Chapter of the American Association of Blacks in Energy (AABE) incorporated a Youth Energy Academy model focused on, but not limited to, minority students in St. Petersburg, Jacksonville, Orlando, and Ocala. “Each year, we gain the interest of our emerging workforce by proving new career paths and sessions to let students know what the energy industry offers and how they can create career paths of their own. In 2012, we established Youth Energy Academy programs in the Northeast and Central regions of the AABE Florida Chapter with the intent of beginning programs in the Southeast and Northwest regions in 2020. We won’t be able to solve the energy industry workforce shortage overnight, but since inception, more than 1,500 students have been exposed to the energy industry through the Youth Energy Academy,” stated Kathy Judkins, AABE Florida Chapter President. The AABE Florida Chapter is led by members from seven Florida energy providers, as well as several entrepreneurs and business partners.

 

Learn more about SECO Energy and its Concern for Community online. “Like” SECO’s Facebook page and “follow” @SECOEnergy on Twitter for news releases and cooperative updates.

SECO Energy Supports Local Students’ Field Trip to Kennedy Space Center

As the school year wraps up this spring, SECO Energy sponsored a field trip for local students to visit Florida’s Kennedy Space Center. As a supporter of STEM-based projects, SECO provided funding for bus transportation expenses as a sponsorship for 88 elementary and middle school students from Bushnell Elementary, Lake Panasoffkee Elementary, South Sumter Middle School, Webster Elementary and both Wildwood Elementary and Middle Schools.

 

At the Space Center, students learned about the scientific breakthroughs of the Apollo missions in the United States’ race to the moon. Students walked under the Saturn V rocket – the most massive rocket ever flown. Attendees got a close-up view of the Space Shuttle Atlantis and used training simulators to learn about the complex systems and components involved in engineering the space shuttle. In the Shuttle Launch Simulator, students experienced first-hand the pull of gravity and its effects on humans.

 

SECO Energy Supports Local Students' Field Trip to Kennedy Space Center - elementary students
56 elementary students from Bushnell Elementary, Lake Panasoffkee Elementary, Webster Elementary and Wildwood Elementary Schools attend a field trip to the Kennedy Space Center with support from SECO Energy.

 

Rebecca McCorkle, Gifted Teacher for Sumter County Schools, stated, “At Kennedy Space Center, our students explored the authentic instruments, technology and space vehicles used by the astronauts, engineers and technicians of NASA. It was an immersive learning experience! Every student walked away with new STEM-related knowledge and an appreciation for STEM careers. We are so grateful to SECO for believing in the importance of the Gifted program and helping make these trips possible!”

SECO Energy Supports Local Students' Field Trip to Kennedy Space Center - middle school students
32 middle school students from South Sumter Middle and Wildwood Middle Schools attend a field trip to the Kennedy Space Center with support from SECO Energy.

 

CEO Jim Duncan stated, “SECO Energy is pleased to play a role in supporting student activities that encourage them to consider a STEM-related career. Sponsoring educational youth programs encompasses two key cooperative principles Education, Training and Information, as well as Concern for Community. SECO Energy and the energy industry are hiring enthusiastic employees with an interest in STEM-focused careers. We also support local students through our yearly scholarship program and various community activities.”

 

Visit SECO Energy’s Community page to learn more about the not-for-profit electric cooperative’s community involvement. “Like” SECO Energy on Facebook and “follow” @SECOEnergy on Twitter for news releases and cooperative updates.

Kathy Judkins Elected as AABE Florida Chapter President

SECO Energy Senior Consultant for Civic, Charitable and Government Affairs was recently elected President of the American Association of Blacks in Energy (AABE) Florida Chapter. As a 13-year veteran in the energy industry, Kathy’s experience and community commitment serving on a variety of boards in the local area make her eminently qualified to lead the Florida AABE Chapter.

 

Kathy has been an AABE member for ten years, playing key roles in achieving the AABE mission while furthering SECO Energy’s outreach in the communities the cooperative serves.

 

For the last five years, Kathy has spearheaded SECO Energy’s role in supporting the Ocala Youth Energy Academy, where local energy experts team up to provide high school students a real-life glimpse into the many careers in the electric utility industry. The two-day event showcases activities that range from learning how electricity travels from the generation plant to homes and what it takes to restore power during an outage to a hands-on live demonstrations and other projects. The students learn about high-skill, high-wage careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). AABE’s upcoming 2019 Ocala event is scheduled for early June.

 

The Florida AABE Chapter is a premier business organization for energy professionals who are committed to supporting the AABE mission and purposes:

 

To serve as a resource for policy discussion of the economic, social and political impact of environmental and energy policies on African Americans and other minorities.

 

To ensure involvement of African Americans in governmental energy policymaking by recommending capable sensitive and informed personnel to appropriate officials.

 

To encourage both the public and private sectors to be responsive to the problems, goals and aspirations of African Americans in energy-related fields.

 

To encourage African American students to pursue careers in energy-related fields and to provide scholarships and other financial aid for such students.

 

The chapter membership represents a variety of energy providers including SECO Energy, NextEra Energy, Florida Power & Light, Duke Energy, Jacksonville Electric Authority, Orlando Utilities Commission, Florida Municipal Electric Association and Gainesville Regional Utilities. Additionally, the Florida Chapter includes a number of entrepreneurs, municipalities, energy services providers, and business partners from Accurate Placement, Net Communications, Florida City Gas, City of Tallahassee, Siemens Energy Inc. and others.

STEM Focus at Ocala’s Third Annual Youth Energy Academy

On June 8 and 9, local energy experts are teaming up to introduce high school students to the many careers in the electric utility field. SECO Energy, Duke Energy and Ocala Electric Utilities partnered with CareerSource CLM, College of Central Florida and Lockheed Martin to bring the Third Annual Youth Energy Academy to life for sixty students in Marion County.

 

The Youth Energy Academy is an interactive workshop aimed to spark the students interest in traveling an academic path toward a career in the energy industry. During the two-day event, students explore high-skill, high-wage careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). The high-schoolers learn how electricity is delivered to homes and businesses, participate in hands-on demonstrations and discover the soft skills needed for a successful career.

 

Several years ago, the Florida Chapter of the American Association of Blacks in Energy (AABE) incorporated a Youth Energy Academy model focused on, but not limited to, minority students in St. Petersburg, Orlando and Ocala. The AABE goal is to proactively gain the interest of an emerging workforce by educating young people about opportunities in the energy arena.

 

STEM Focus at Ocala’s 3rd Annual Youth Energy Academy

 

Kathy Judkins, SECO Energy’s Deputy Director of Civic, Charitable and Government Affairs stated, “SECO Energy, Duke Energy and Ocala Electric Utilities have formed a strong partnership in the quest to develop a future talent pipeline of local students who show an interest in the energy industry. At this year’s Academy, students are gaining essential knowledge related to the array of jobs, careers and occupational requirements in energy today.”

 

Jim Duncan, CEO stated, “The Youth Academy aligns with two key cooperative principles, Education, Training and Information and also Concern for Community. The energy field has a bundle of diverse careers just waiting for talented candidates to apply. Participating in youth education programs gives SECO a hand in crafting its future workforce and gives local, talented youngsters employment opportunities close to home and family.”

 

Learn more about SECO Energy and its Concern for Community online. “Like” SECO’s Facebook page and “follow” @SECOEnergy on Twitter for news releases and cooperative updates.