Smart grid careers: New year, new opportunities

By Liz Enbysk

SGN Managing Editor

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A new study from Lucintel has the global smart grid market reaching $57 billion by 2016 – representing a compound annual growth rate of 13% over the next five years. Whether you're a high school student or mid-career professional looking for ways to kick start a career in this growing sector, we've put together a few ideas.

·         Smart grid workforce training programs funded by the U.S. Energy Department are offered at various locales across the country, from the Community College of Rhode Island to Centralia College in Washington State. You can check out opportunities near you via an interactive map on the DOE website. Click for details >>

·         Smart grid jobs on Twitter is a great resource for anyone looking for new smart grid career opportunities. You'll find job listings from utilities, smart grid vendors, consulting firms and more. Click for details >>

·         The Fulbright Public Policy Fellowship, a component of the Fulbright U.S. Student Program, will be inaugurated in academic year 2012-13 and energy is one of the areas of focus. The Fulbright Public Policy Fellowship will allow fellows to serve in professional placements in foreign government ministries or institutions and gain hands-on public sector experience in participating foreign countries while simultaneously carrying out an academic research/study project.  Fulbright Public Policy Fellowships will be offered in the following countries:  Bangladesh, Cote d'Ivoire, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Haiti, Jamaica, Mongolia, Nepal, Nigeria, Thailand and Tunisia. Application deadline:  Feb. 1, 2012. Click for details >>

·         First Wind, an independent U.S.-based wind energy company, will award 16 scholarships to qualified high school seniors in communities where the company currently has projects in operation or advanced stages of development. As part of the 2012 program, as many as 15 one-time awards will be granted to students within host communities in Hawaii, Maine, New York, Utah, Vermont, Washington and the company’s home state of Massachusetts.  Qualified students enrolling in full-time degree programs focused on sciences or technology are invited to apply.  First Wind Scholars recipients will be awarded a one-time $3,000 scholarship for one year.  The company also awards one scholarship of $5,000, renewable for up to four years, to the year’s single most qualified applicant.  Application deadline: Feb. 15, 2012. Click for details >>

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·         The Department of Energy posts a wide variety of job openings on the USA Jobs site. A quick scan of recent listings included positions for a power system dispatcher/outage coordinator in Colorado, a physical scientist in Washington, D.C. and an international relations specialist in Kansas / Beijing – plus many others.  Click for details >>

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