Powering the Future: Public Power’s Greatest Asset Is Its People

Investing in People Has Never Been More Important

Public power’s greatest asset is its people. Yet public power utilities across the country face increasing competition for talent from investor-owned utilities, cooperatives, utility contractors, and other industries where utility jobs are valued and transferable. At the same time, significant numbers of experienced utility professionals are approaching retirement.

The challenge extends beyond replacing workers. Tomorrow’s electric utility workforce must possess both traditional utility expertise and emerging capabilities in areas such as data analytics, digital technologies and advanced control systems.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy’s 2025 United States Energy & Employment Report, the energy sector employed 8.5 million workers in 2024. Within AMP’s nine-state footprint, Michigan is one of three states that has the highest energy employment, and West Virginia is one of three states with the most energy employees per 100,000 workers.

We know that technological advances and greater efficiency will have an effect on electric sector employment rates. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the overall number of people employed as power plant operators, distributors and dispatchers is expected to decline by 10 percent through 2034. However, the BLS still projects about 3,800 openings a year in the energy sector — openings expected to occur as a result of people transferring to other roles or retiring from the labor force.

As the utility workforce changes and technology continues to transform the industry, investing in people has never been more important. Public power systems are responding through apprenticeships, internships, workforce partnerships, leadership development initiatives, and expanded training programs. AMP’s investment in its Technical Training Program and Department of Labor-registered apprenticeship programs is aimed at helping Member communities cultivate a highly skilled workforce and prepare the next generation of lineworkers, operators and utility leaders.

The communities best positioned for long-term success will be those that invest in the next generation of their utility’s workforce.

Keeping the Lights on Starts with People

For the second year, one of AMP’s college interns is heading back to class with a $3,000 Kyle Krieger Memorial Scholarship in hand. This scholarship was established in 2025 to honor the memory of a former AMP intern and to support the academic endeavors of current and former AMP interns who are still pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree. While any AMP intern is eligible for the scholarship, the 2025 and 2026 recipients have both been engineering students who had successful internships at AMP and showed great promise.

Scholarships, such as the one AMP sponsors for college interns, are a great way to encourage interest and continue a student’s work in the electric industry after graduation. AMP and its Member communities often compete with larger organizations for the same workforce so developing talent locally and investing in employees is critical.

Attracting young people to skilled trades, such as linework is possible through specialized internships and apprenticeship programs. Several AMP Member communities have developed such programs to make young people aware of these opportunities in public power, including:

• Westerville Electric Division’s Pre-Apprentice Program: For decades, the Westerville Electric Division has welcomed high school seniors from the Ohio Mideast Career Center in Zanesville, Ohio, to work alongside Westerville lineworkers, learn about the profession and get an introduction to public service. In 2024, the utility expanded the program, partnering with career development staff at Westerville City Schools to bring local students into the program. In their time as pre-apprentices, the students learn about linework and electric safety principles, while also gaining school credits. Since partnering with the school district, the utility has worked with 20 students and has hired two as full-time employees and two as part-time employees.
• Cleveland Public Power’s Internship to Apprentice Program: Established in 2008, this long-standing program draws students from high schools within the City of Cleveland who will be 18 years old by the September following their high-school graduation, and it introduces them to a career in public power. To be selected, students must have a proven record of commitment, with at least a 93 percent school attendance rate over four years. The students then join Cleveland Public Power (CPP) as interns and support various departments while getting hands-on experience in different careers. The students have the opportunity to transition to intern-apprentices; over the years, about 70 to 80 percent of the students that have entered the program as interns have been hired.
• Paducah Power System’s Amped Up Program: Designed to introduce high school students to utility careers, Amped Up provides the students with paid summer internships that give them real-world utility experience, industry certifications and mentorship opportunities. Students get the opportunity to work with line crews, handle equipment and tools of the trade, and learn about public power. Over the past four years, the utility has hired four interns from the program, which is proving to be a solid pipeline for future lineworkers.

Workforce development is critical to utility success, and these efforts to recruit and develop interest in the industry at a young age will help ensure the long-term sustainability of public power systems. Through these and other programs, AMP Members are demonstrating the benefits of working in public power — that it can provide a stable career with many career pathways and that it can also provide an opportunity to make an impact on the local community.

The public may not think about the people behind a utility until the power goes out. But our industry knows that reliable electric service depends on more than infrastructure. It depends on people. By investing in training, apprenticeships, leadership development, and future talent pipelines today, AMP and our Members are working to ensure that public power communities have the skilled workforce needed to serve customers for decades to come. The future of public power will be built not only by the energy we generate, but by the people we empower.