Adult Learners Play Starring Role in EPCE Series

Last year, CAEL rolled out a fully revamped website for the Energy Providers Coalition for Education (EPCE). CAEL administers EPCE, the energy sector’s leading source of 100% online degrees and other credentials for the future and incumbent workforce. 

EPCE members hail from throughout the broad spectrum of the energy industry. They include education and training providers and more than 3,500 companies, representing more than two-thirds of the industry workforce across all 50 states. From microcredentials to advanced degrees, EPCE develops and sponsors industry-driven online education and training solutions for the energy sector’s rapidly evolving workforce development needs. Since its founding in 2000, more than 7,200 students have enrolled in more than 41,000 courses.

But there's something far more compelling than even these impressive stats: the adult learners and workers behind them. Individual success stories are routinely ranked among the most popular and effective ways to demonstrate the urgency and meaningfulness of CAEL’s mission, and it’s no different at EPCE. With that in mind, EPCE’s new blog features the “EPCE Learner Success Story” series. (You’ll also find some partner success stories for good measure.) 

Each learner success story features quotes personifying the many ways access to a career path in the energy sector can change lives. Here are just a few examples:

The veteran’s tuition discount makes Excelsior University an attractive program, but the tuition reimbursement from my company is also a big reason why I chose to pursue additional education.

Between rotating shift work and kids, attending in person wasn’t possible. Also, many of my Navy credits and credits from my reactor operator training were accepted, which allowed me to finish my degree more quickly.

The power systems program at WPI stood out because it’s specifically designed for the electric utility industry—something most universities don’t offer. It’s rare to find a program with courses focused on utility-based activities and functions.

I had heard horror stories from others where a school wouldn’t accept a lot of credits, but BSC was great to work with and I was able to apply almost all my credits.

I don’t think people realize how many opportunities are available in the energy industry. Most people just think about lineman, but there are so many different career paths, and it’s a very stable industry because everyone needs electricity.

The most recent success story profiles Bryan S. Pell, an employee of Duke Energy who is currently “on loan” to the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations (INPO) as a senior evaluator. In the story, Pell, an Army veteran, shares how the EPCE programs, along with additional support from his employer, have helped open up doors to new opportunities. In the case of his role with INPO, those doors are leading him on a global tour; he has lent his expertise to plants in the United States, China, Canada, and Argentina.

You can read Bryan’s success story—and many more—at blog.epceonline.org/in-the-news.