Farrell: 'Veterans can do the job'

As we commemorate Veterans Day, we remember those who have served to protect the Republic and preserve the American way of life. Some, like my uncle in World War II, have made the ultimate sacrifice. Others, like my father and grandfather, have left the service, having stood post in such faraway places as Flanders or Fallujah, Pusan Perimeter or Pointe du Hoc, Kandahar or Khe Sanh.

On Veterans Day, we salute these courageous individuals for strapping on a helmet, carrying a rifle and doing the work of superheroes day after day. We also pause to reflect on the state of the American veteran.

Here are a few facts to consider:

• The overall unemployment rate for those who have left military service in the past decade is 12 percent — a full 3 percentage points higher than the national unemployment rate.

• The current unemployment rate for males, ages 18 to 24, who have served and transitioned into civilian life is far worse — 27 percent.

• A recent Pew Research Center Survey reveals that 44 percent of newly discharged veterans term the transition to civilian careers "difficult."

• The U.S. government paid $882 million in unemployment benefits to newly discharged servicemen and -women in 2010 alone.

These statistics describe a situation that goes well beyond unacceptable. It is a national disgrace.

But there is good news. America's energy companies could have jobs — in fact, many — over the next few years. It is my belief that electric and gas utilities, such as Dominion, have a responsibility to look after those who took the time to put on a uniform. We owe them a debt of gratitude.

Many utilities support their employees serving in the National Guard and Reserves through pay supplements and full benefits, among other things. Our employee volunteers mobilize to send care packages to troops in harm's way and offer comfort to their families at home. In addition, Dominion just gave $250,000 in grants to 10 veterans' organizations in six states, including Virginia.

But we can do even more.

Recognizing a serious work force challenge, five years ago the Edison Electric Institute, the American Gas Association, the Nuclear Energy Institute, electric cooperatives, unions and contractors created the Center for Energy Workforce Development (CEWD) to prepare for a looming worker shortage.

A 2009 CEWD study projected that nearly 200,000 workers could leave jobs at gas and electric utilities from 2009 to 2014 — some through attrition, some through retirement. This represents more than a third of the total work force at our nation's gas and electric utilities.

Among those occupations expected to be hardest hit: lineworkers, power station and field operators, technicians, engineers, pipefitters, pipelayers and welders. Workers in these critical posts ensure safe, efficient, effective and reliable production of energy and transportation via wire or pipe to your home and business. They are fundamental to the work utilities do. And these are well-paying jobs — the average worker in these key occupations in the energy field makes more than $56,000 annually.

Enter Troops to Energy Jobs, a two-year program being piloted by five electric utilities, including Dominion.

The program recognizes that veterans can do the job of producing and delivering a commodity that is vital to U.S. national security and our way of life. And it recognizes that those who served are motivated, disciplined, risk-aware, safety-conscious and civic-minded — values that are invaluable to gas and electric utilities. Indeed, the military culture and utility culture are highly compatible.

The Troops to Energy Jobs initiative has been designed to establish an ongoing process of outreach, recruiting, education and training to create a roadmap for military personnel to transition to civilian careers in the energy field.

Through collaboration between the energy industry and the U.S. armed services, recruiters will compare the training and skills those leaving service possess with the training and skills required for specific jobs at U.S. utilities. Pure and simple, the goal of Troops to Energy Jobs is to speed up — and streamline — the process of moving from the front lines to lineworker.

We must do better by these Americans who volunteered to defend us at profound risk and personal sacrifice. The Troops to Energy Jobs pilot program offers the potential for making a significant difference to those leaving active-duty service and to unemployed veterans alike, while addressing a growing and pressing challenge faced by the utility sector.