PNCECE, a nationally recognized model, provides stragegic coordination for the energy industry's skilled workforce in a 5-state region.
The Pacific Northwest Center of Excellence for Clean Energy (PNCECE) is a Centralia College Partnership that includes: consumer-owned and investor-owned utilities; a federal power-marketing administration (the Bonneville Power Administration); organized labor; a national laboratory (Pacific Northwest National Laboratory); and numerous community colleges and universities located in the Pacific Northwest region represented by Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Utah.
Through a $5 million grant, leveraged to $12 million, awarded in 2010 by the U.S. Department of Energy, the Washington State model is being replicated to serve the five partner states in the Pacific Northwest and establish energy training satellites to identify smart grid training needs across select supply-side and demand-side energy occupations, to improve internal job progression in utilities and to create a centralized training and recruiting portal. The grant application was endorsed by four governors; 11 U.S. Legislators representing Washington, Oregon and Idaho; and NEET Executive Board members representing the Pacific Northwest states.
The center model was endorsed by the Northwest Energy Efficiency Taskforce (NEET), a regional executive committee of 28 senior-level representatives from utilities, state government, electric customers, public interest advocates, energy efficiency companies and energy industry specialists from across the Pacific Northwest region. NEET's 2009 Energy Workforce report charged the center at Centralia College with leading a coordinated, strategic approach to clean energy workforce development for the region in which the center would work with regional partners to: 1) define energy efficiency jobs, 2) establish skill standards and identify job classifications for use regionally, and 3) create a regional clearinghouse for energy efficiency job openings.
