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Pima Community College (PCC) is offering students a new program through a partnership with Tucson Electric Power (TEP) and Southwest Gas.

PCC鈥檚 new Energy Technology Certificate is a two-semester program that builds on a previous collaboration between the organizations to develop skills in the utility industry.

鈥�The content is chock-full of needed skill sets and the pathway is more efficient,鈥� PCC Dean of Applied Technology Greg Wilson said. 鈥�Having a stronger energy certificate is going to expose them to different career options.鈥�

According to Wilson, the program鈥檚 standards are driven by the industry while also integrating industry certifications 鈥� such as OSHA 10 Safety, NCCER, and NIMS 鈥� so students will be more qualified after graduating.

According to Southwest Gas Supervisor in Engineering Brittney Schmidt, the program will help fill the need for entry-level workers.

鈥淭hrough the classes, students can evaluate if they have a knack for the jobs. Students who come out of classes are much more likely to stay with those jobs,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he new program gives us a lot of opportunities to attract more students and provide pipelines for our companies and our contractors. The key is that everyone is finding value in this 鈥� the utilities, the college and specifically, the students.鈥�

The new program also gives students the ability to learn from TEP and Southwest Gas employees and open their eyes to different careers within the companies.

鈥�One of the beneficial things is that there are a lot of roles at TEP and Southwest Gas that folks don’t even have an idea exist,鈥� Wilson said. 鈥淭EP has its own meteorologist who comes in to play on how they’re distributing energy across their different districts. So, while the Energy Technology certificate is just a starting point, it can certainly open up our students to options that could lead to 30-year careers.鈥�

鈥淭his opens up doors for students. Through the certificate program, students will have a platform to build on for their futures,鈥� JoLee Bracamonte, a TEP Talent Acquisition Specialist in Human Resources said in a.

PCC plans to enroll more than 50 students a year in the program.

鈥�Knowing that a student, in one semester, can walk out with not just the credit or certificate from Pima but [industry] certifications鈥�that鈥檚 what鈥檚 exciting,鈥� Wilson said.