BONNEVILLE POWER ADMINISTRATION
PACIFIC POWER
PORTLAND GENERAL ELECTRIC

 Women in Trades career fair encourages girls to “go green”

Portland, Ore. - PORTLAND, Ore. – More than 1,200 students have signed up for a three-day Women in Trades event to learn what it’s like to work for an electric utility and how to start a career in the industry.

With a theme of “going green,” the career fair will also provide opportunities for young women to learn about the green future of trades.  This effort is in line with the current national focus on energy efficiency, renewable resources and energy independence. 

What: Women in Trades Career Fair
When: Middle school day – Thursday, May 14, High school day – Friday, May 15, Careers for women day – Saturday, May 16
Where: 16021 Airport Way, at the National Electrical Contractors Association and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Training Center
Who: Hosted by NECA/IBEW and sponsored by the Bonneville Power Administration,  Pacific Power and Portland General Electric.

Photographic opportunities:  Girls participating in hands-on bucket truck demonstrations, electricity “101” activities, pole climbing and an electricity-generating bicycle.

“The Women in Trades career fair is an excellent way for young women to learn about a career they might otherwise not have considered,” said Robin Furrer, BPA vice president of Transmission Field Services. “People working in the trades are highly paid, highly skilled individuals who help keep the lights on in the Pacific Northwest.  It’s a very proud tradition.”    

“This is an exciting time to be in the electric utility industry,” added Pacific Power’s Curtis Meyers, director, Staffing and Learning Development.  “Now more than ever, we need to enhance transmission infrastructure, integrate renewable resources such as wind and stay on top of the latest technology. This career fair will help us find the best and brightest to forge the way.”

Maureen Fallt, Portland General Electric’s supervisor of Workforce Planning and Diversity, emphasizes the benefits of diversity in the workplace.  “Although work in the trades has been traditionally male dominated, we appreciate the uniqueness of all people and believe that bringing together varied approaches and cultures creates the best results. For employees, that means a great place to work. For the people who need us to provide reliable power, that means high-quality employees doing the job.”

BPA is a not-for-profit federal electric utility that markets more than a third of the electricity consumed in the Pacific Northwest. The power is produced at 31 federal dams owned and operated by the Corps of Engineers and Bureau of Reclamation and one nuclear plant in the Northwest and is sold to more than 140 Northwest utilities. BPA purchases power from seven wind projects and has more than 1,800 megawatts of wind interconnected to its transmission system. BPA operates a high-voltage transmission grid comprising more than 15,000 miles of lines and associated substations in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana.

Pacific Power strives to promote innovation and works with customers and communities to increase the visibility of renewable energy generation technologies through education and community outreach. Pacific Power is headquartered in Portland and provides electric service to more than 724,000 customers in Oregon, Washington and California. As part of PacifiCorp, one of the lowest-cost electricity producers in the United States, Pacific Power and Rocky Mountain Power provide more than 1.7 million customers in six Western states with reliable, efficient energy. The company works to meet growing energy demand while protecting and enhancing the environment.

PGE is a recognized leader in the utility industry and has consistently delivered safe and reliable electricity to customers in northwest Oregon since 1889.  We serve approximately 810,000 customers in 52 Oregon cities within our 4,000-square mile service territory. Portland General Electric has a diverse mix of stable generating resources that includes hydropower, coal and gas combustion, and wind, as well as key transmission resources.

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