SCE, back at it again! Just last week our partners at Southern California Edison and Edison International announced the implementation of a new scholarship program, the Lineworker Scholarship, “to help increase diversity in skilled trade.” To give you all some background, the new Lineworker Scholarship program is part of their ongoing work to promote Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, particularly increasing Black representation in the lineman makeup. SCE’s President and CEO reports that this is “SCE’s continuing commitment to increase workforce diversity- having our workforce reflect the communities we serve is a priority for us.” Furthermore, Edison International developed a four-year, $1-million pilot scholarship program to provide scholarships and additional support totaling up to $25,000 per recipient. In addition, IBEW Local 47 is providing $50,000 per year toward the Lineworker Scholarship AND the Edison scholarship will cover support services as needed, such as transportation and childcare, through an agreement with Brotherhood Crusade. Now that we all have a better grasp on what this program is all about, let us dive into the significance and importance!

1. Livable Wages
One of the main factors of promoting an equitable workforce is often not at the forefront of the conversation. What am I referring to? Livable wages. We cannot promote careers in clean energy to underrepresented groups especially if livable pay does not exist. It is no secret that equitable pay will enhance a person’s desire to succeed inside and outside of their career, but it goes beyond that. Individuals living in disadvantaged communities have additional barriers to tackle in their every day lives and by providing a stable income to support not only themselves but also family members can expand into positive outcomes like better health, work quality/productivity, and other similar factors.  

For the specific role being offered in the SCE Scholarship, a livable wage will be a clear result after program completion. In CA alone, a lineman can make between $43-$45/ hour (with overtime and benefits included in many cases). Terrance Bynum, who currently works from SCE as a lineman, shared that “You make a good salary, and you can raise your family,” who notes that he has sometimes shown his paycheck to students at job fairs to get their attention.” With the growth of the clean energy sector and the associated job expansion, we must highlight and educate potential hires that many of these jobs exceed the “livable wages.” category. Bob Keef, executive director at E2 said that “these (clean energy) jobs pay better, come with better benefits – and they’re also helping fight climate change and the growing economic costs that come with it.” Providing livable wages and educating others on the opportunity to obtain these livable wages from careers in clean energy are two steps that will not only promote diversity and equity but embody it.

2. TRADES!
It is no secret that the SJVCEO advocates for trade programs and vocational training as a clear pathway to a climate adaptive career. Edison International and the associated partners in this program are only pushing this initiative further. In a previous edition of Energizing the Workforce, we shared “colleges are not set up to cater the needs of all people which is why we need to expand access and enhance exposure to these programs that can lead so many to fulfilling careers in the energy industry.” The scholarship from SCE is tackling two of the most common topics we have addressed for the last year or so. First, that trade programs are a valuable and meaningful opportunity for individuals to hold meaningful careers and secondly, that the lack of racial diversity in clean energy needs to be supplemented with programs and opportunities like the Edison International Lineman Scholarship.

3.  Reflecting Communities that We Serve
As mentioned previously, SCE’s CEO shared that “having our workforce reflect the communities we serve is a priority for us.” This statement embodies the exact reason why we started with the “Energizing the Workforce” series in 2019. The SJVCEO serves a large portion of SCE’s service territory and we know from our own experience that the current clean energy workforce does not reflect what our communities look like. Having a company with the influential ability like SCE also reiterate this notion is acknowledging that 1. There is an issue and 2. These are the steps we are taking to resolve this problem.

Our sincere gratitude and support goes out to SCE, Edison International, IBEW 47 Local, Brotherhood Crusade, and all of the other organizations and entities have worked tirelessly to launch and implement this program that will positively impact the lives of those individuals we serve. For more info about the program and the application, please visit https://www.edison.com/home/edison-international-lineworker-scholarship.html

Sources:
https://energized.edison.com/stories/lineworker-scholarship-to-help-increase-diversity-in-skilled-trades https://energized.edison.com/stories/how-to-become-an-sce-lineman https://brotherhoodcrusade.org/about-us/
https://www.indeed.com/career/lineman/salaries/CA https://www.sjvcleanenergy.org/blogee/2020/9/24/energizing-the-workforce-on-track-to-trade
https://e2.org/