Careers in the Power Engineering Field

The IEEE Power Engineering Society is pleased to announce the launch of a unique online career service for power engineering students who are interested in a career in the rapidly-evolving and burgeoning power and energy industry.

Through PES-Careers, students in engineering in the United States and Canada can search for and find a power engineering position or internship. It has also been designed to assist employers in finding the best candidates for current job openings within their companies. The website can be accessed at http://www.PES-Careers.org.

PES-Careers is offered without a fee and is a service to students and their future employers. It will help address emerging engineering workforce challenges and facilitate collaboration among industry, government and academia to provide a quality education for the next generation of power engineers. Student, Employer and Faculty Login information is required to gain access to detailed career information.

The launch of the web site addresses the critical need for power and energy professionals both now and in the future. In fact, it is worth noting that respondents to an IEEE PES survey, conducted in 2005, projected an increasing demand for entry level, mid-career and senior level positions in the next few years. The survey also indicated that there was a predicted shortage in the supply of middle and senior-career technical talent.

Not surprisingly, the IEEE PES survey reflects, and is supported by, a U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics study that shows a need for a 17% increase in electrical engineers between 2003 (149,540) and 2010 (175,000). (See article, The Technical Talent Challenge, January/February 2006 power & energy magazine, pages 32-39).

Specifically, PES-Careers identifies three groups--students, employers and faculty who will benefit from the use of the PES-Careers web site.

For students: Through the PES-Careers site, students can upload and submit resumes to employers, enter a personal profile that describes their skills and career preferences, review job postings, learn about organizations in search of power engineering students and contact potential employers. In addition, students can receive notification of new job opportunities and news relevant to students from and about IEEE PES. Students can use the calendar system as a desktop calendar and automatically have IEEE PES events added to it.

For employers: The PES-Careers site can upload openings, profile the organization, search student resumes, and profiles, and communicate with potential job candidates. Employers will have an opportunity to advertise web-based career information sessions. Using selected screening criteria, employers will be able to better manage the volume of contacts about job opportunities.

For faculty: U.S. and Canadian universities and engineering technology schools can use the PES-Careers site to better understand the current job market for their students. Faculty can register as employers if they would like to find graduate students for possible employment

The PES-Careers web site is divided into three relevant areas of interest to students. The areas of interest include: PES-Career Resources, PES-Career FAQ's, and Contact PES-Careers. The details of each area are explained below.

1. PES–Careers Resources on Power Engineering Careers: This section of the web site addresses the following subjects.

• IEEE Student Career Resources links users to information from students, parents, teachers and employers.
• IEEE Power & Energy Library provides searchable comprehensive library for IEEE members.
• Pathfinder on Power and Energy helps find authoritative information on power and energy.
• IEEE Student Concourse displays student activities from around the world.
• PowerGlobe ListServ is designed to connect users to the global power engineering community.

2. PES Careers FAQ's provides answers to the most frequently asked questions by students, employers and faculty. Here you will find answers to the following questions: Who is a Power Engineer? How can I learn about PES-Careers and how to use it? Is all of the activity using PES-Careers recorded? Are there any expectations about how I am to use PES –Careers and about releasing information to others?

3. Contact PES –Careers: PES Careers is maintained by the Power Systems Engineering Research Center (PSERC), with the lead university at Arizona State University. Anyone with questions about PES-Careers should call 480-965-1643 between 9:00 am and 4:00 pm, Pacific Daylight Time, (Monday-Friday) or send an email to PES-Careers@ieee.org.