As part of a continued commitment to building the most resilient coastal grid in the country, CenterPoint Energy is announcing a series of efforts to achieve its goal of hiring 200 additional lineworkers by the end of this year, and nearly 800 by 2030.
CenterPoint's accelerated hiring efforts will support historic energy investments over the next 10 years and help the Greater Houston area meet the rapidly growing demand for local electric workers. As part of these efforts, CenterPoint is hosting ongoing job fairs, collaborating with regional workforce development networks, including the Greater Houston Partnership, and launching a new Houston skill-based workforce development program, titled Energy Expressway™, to help build the next generation of electric workers. These combined workforce expansion efforts will support CenterPoint's critical resiliency and infrastructure work, including over $53 billion in local energy investments as part of the company's 10-year capital expenditure plan.
"All of us here at CenterPoint are focused on working to build a grid that will provide reliable and resilient service to our customers and communities here in the Greater Houston area for years to come. We are investing in resiliency and grid hardening projects that will support the unprecedented growth expected here over the next ten years. To deliver on these investments safely, quickly and efficiently, our workforce will need to grow at an accelerated pace. In addition to building the most resilient coastal grid in the country, we're also committing to building the workforce that will keep that grid strong, now and in the future," said Darin Carroll, CenterPoint's Senior Vice President of Electric Business.
CenterPoint's efforts to build the workforce of the future are vital to fulfilling its long-term capital investment plans that are anticipated to benefit the company's 2.8 million customers. Over the next five years, the local demand for electric workers is expected to be more than 11,000 workers who will help meet the rapidly growing energy demand in the Greater Houston area, which is projected to increase by nearly 50% by 2031. The next generation of electric workers will also support the implementation of CenterPoint's 2026-2028 Systemwide Resiliency Plan, which is designed to strengthen the electric system against extreme weather of the future and reduce outages for customers by nearly 1 billion minutes into 2029.
Energy Expressway™ program details
Energy Expressway™ is a free, multi-week program that provides real-world and online training as well as classroom education at CenterPoint's state-of-the-art Hiram O. Clarke Training Center. Designed to provide a fast-track to a lifelong career in the energy industry, participants will focus on developing not only the technical skills required to perform electric work safely and effectively, but also the critical skills of teamwork and customer service to ensure CenterPoint's customers remain at the center of everything they do. Beginning in October, the program's inaugural class of 35 applicants selected from the company's workforce development network will be considered for an entry-level position where they would support apprentice and journey lineworkers – the first step toward a career in the energy industry.
