With the fall school season back in swing, high school students are facing the age-old question: What opportunities lie ahead for me after graduation?
Women Who Charge’s EV Academy aims to help students on that journey, paving pathways for long, fulfilling careers in the electric vehicle (EV) industry through hands-on education and meaningful professional connections.
Xcel Energy has proudly partnered with Women Who Charge to bring interactive learning experiences, industry experts and economic impact to the schools they support. Last school year, our teams took part in two events, walking Aurora and Denver Public School students through activities that built a real-world understanding of the energy journey, Colorado’s carbon-free transportation system and our work to support electric vehicle growth across the state.
“One of my passions has always been mentoring kids and helping them understand technical applications for things in the real world,” said participant Abby Thomas, senior EV product portfolio manager of Xcel Energy’s Clean Transportation team. “That was what the Women Who Charge EV Academy was all about — helping kids understand what career opportunities there could be for them in the EV industry”.
And in this ever-evolving industry, there’s no shortage of opportunity. From engineers and electricians to fleet managers, there’s an abundance of career pathways for the next generation of innovators to explore.
“I was there at one point too,” recalled Thomas. “I remember trying to figure out what I wanted to do, and looking back, I wish someone would have told me what a future could look like in this industry. I try to give that back to the generation of students going through that right now.”
This hands-on approach to learning doesn’t just help provide career direction, it builds a valuable foundation of knowledge about the energy infrastructure and science powering the everyday lives of our communities — and helps develop skills applicable to careers far beyond the electric vehicle industry.
Reflecting on her experience with the program, Paola Massoli, Xcel Energy fleet zero emission vehicle consultant, said, “Sometimes these things can seem abstract from the outside. People don't understand what we do or how we do our work. I really hope students got useful information to guide them through decision-making for the next step in their life. It could be looking for jobs or deciding to go get a master’s in energy, environmental sciences or related disciplines.”
The future of the EV industry — and the energy sector as a whole — depends on the bright young minds entering the workforce today. Programs like the EV Academy make those career pathways possible.
Investing in the next generation of talent is one of the many ways we’re making EVs more accessible. As part of our aspiration to deliver zero-carbon fuel for all vehicles across our eight states by 2050, we’re ambitiously driving toward a goal to enable the charging infrastructure for 1.5 million EVs and to electrify 20% of our combined fleet by 2035. To date, we have reached 30% of that interim target, with nearly all fleet sedans electrified and 13% of our light-duty fleet vehicles transitioned to EVs.
Learn more about our carbon-free transportation vision and the programs helping customers make the switch at my.xcelenergy.com.
