By Page Leggett | Lighting Contributor

Unless a student’s family member works at an energy company, they may not think Duke Energy is a viable career for them. That’s exactly what motivates Melvin Philpot – both in his 43 years with the company and in his role as chair of the Community Outreach Committee for the Florida chapter of the American Association of Black Engineers (AABE).

“When middle school students walk down the street and see line workers on power poles, they should think about the energy industry, where there are potentially well-paying jobs,” says Philpot, a product and service manager in Lake Mary, Florida.

Over a decade ago, Philpot attended an AABE-sponsored youth careers forum with Duke Energy CEO Malcolm Barnes. They liked the idea of ​​introducing students from diverse neighborhoods to viable, well-paying jobs in the energy sector and wondered if Duke Energy could offer something similar.

Michael Lewis, then EVP of a predecessor company to Duke Energy, encouraged them to add a craft and engineering component to the curriculum for students who didn’t want to go to college. And with a $2,000 donation from AABE to support the new initiative, the Youth Energy Academy – or YEA for short – was born.

Through hands-on activities and live demonstrations, YEA proactively sparks interest in an emerging workforce by educating young people about the opportunities that exist. The annual career readiness program also aims to promote diversity, equity and inclusion in the energy sector and related STEM fields by engaging eighth- to twelfth-graders who may not have the same opportunities as other students.

“When you’re 15 or 16, you’re looking for someone to tell you what the future holds. That’s where we come in,” says Chiquita Clark, director of South Coastal Work Management at Duke Energy’s Clearwater Operations Center. “We can reach out to the youth of our community and say: We’re people who look like you. Let us show you what we do, and if it looks interesting, we can help you get here.”

So many career paths

Clark, a member of AABE Florida, helped plan the 2024 St. Pete Youth Energy Academy, to be held at a Duke Energy power plant in Bartow, Fla. Nearly 60 students – the maximum number – attended the two-day event.

They heard via video from Erin Jackson, a former STEM student and speed skater from Ocala, Florida, who is competing in the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. Jackson is a former AABE scholar who became the first Black woman to win gold in an individual sport at the 2022 Winter Olympics; she previously earned an engineering degree from the University of Florida.

Other sessions included a factory tour, a “A Day as a Manufacturing Engineer” workshop, an electric vehicle (EV) demonstration and a career panel that brought together a diverse group of employees at all stages of their careers.

The power of partnerships

YEA started small; the first academy attracted eight students. Dave Maxon, vice president of operations, encouraged Duke Energy’s African American employee resource group (ERG) to help develop the concept. Then Mikel Gordon, director of energy efficiency services, joined the initiative.

Bringing in partners who provide financial or material support has helped YEA expand. Duke Energy and other neighboring utilities have pledged their help, as have community colleges, schools and nonprofits across the state.

It has now expanded geographically to six regions, including Ocala and Tallahassee. Three years ago, an academy was opened in Lake Wales, Florida, at the predominantly Hispanic McLaughlin Academy of Excellence – the only remaining public middle school in Polk County.

“YEA would not have grown as much – or been as successful – without its primary funder,” Philpot said. “And that is the Duke Energy Foundation.”

Since 2016, Duke Energy and its AABE Foundation have provided over $120,000 to support the academy.

“Your goals are achievable”

At St. Petersburg College (SPC), another YEA partner, more than 115 students in grades eight through 12 have expressed interest in STEM careers. Most come from underserved or low-income neighborhoods and are part of the College Reach Out Program (CROP), which is designed to show these students that they Are college material, said program coordinator Keisha Blue.

That message is reinforced for CROP students who attend the academy. “Our students meet people who look like them,” Blue said. “They see themselves in the mirror – and they see that their goals are attainable.”

Almost all high school students who participate in CROP will graduate from high school, Blue said, and many will enroll in SPC.

“We are committed to staying at the forefront of technology,” said Professor Chad Mairn, founder of the SPC’s Innovation Lab. “We are introducing artificial intelligence, virtual and augmented reality, cybersecurity and many other new technologies to support and enhance the curriculum that is relevant to modern STEM careers, but also prepares students for future careers – even careers that may not yet exist.”

It is what you know And who you know

Some of the jobs YEA students can get after high school or college are unheard of today. Virtual reality developers, drone pilots, and sustainability managers didn’t exist about a decade ago, and today they’re all in demand.

Conclusion: Students need to be prepared for the STEM careers that still need to be created. And they need teachers, mentors and role models.

Philpot knows mentors are important. One of seven siblings in a single-parent family, he wanted to work on railroad cars until a counselor suggested he go to community college. He earned his degree at night while working in customer service – “the only job that gives you a comprehensive view of the entire company.”

“Working at the Youth Energy Academy has been very fulfilling because I feel I have helped plant some seeds and act as an ambassador for a great company,” Philpot said.

Clark also enjoys promoting Duke Energy. She joined the company as a contract worker in 2014 and became a full-time employee the following year. “From the beginning, it was like a big family,” she says. “The company invests in the development of its employees. You just have to have the desire to succeed.”

She often tells students that the department you start in is not necessarily the department you stay in.

“At Duke Energy, you can start as an administrator or office manager and work your way up to community relations manager,” she said. “We want to show students how many opportunities they have here.”

When these students see a diverse workforce—and a diverse leadership team—they realize there’s a place for them at Duke Energy, too. Perhaps as a lineman.

But not necessarily.

“Many students assume that a career at Duke Energy only includes line workers,” Clark said. “And while we talk about their essential work, we also profile engineers, arborists, chemists, drone pilots, helicopter pilots and the corporate communications team. While line workers play an essential role in keeping the power on, there are so many other roles that help keep our customers served and our communities thriving.”

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