America’s energy sector is growing rapidly, driven by infrastructure investment, technological innovation and the transition to a more modern energy economy. Yet one question remains: Will the communities too often left behind be part of that growth?
The National Urban League believes they must be.
That is why we are partnering with the Chicago Urban League and the Center for Energy Workforce Development — with philanthropic support from Invest in Our Future — on “Energy Up Chicago,” a free workforce engagement and concert experience Wednesday at the House of Blues, 329 N. Dearborn St.
It may look like a free concert with headliner BabyChiefDoIt, guests Star Bandz and Mother Nature, and DJ sets from Power 92’s DJ Pharris and DJ Nephets. But in reality, it is a workforce development strategy.
Energy Up Chicago is built on a simple idea: If we want young adults to explore career opportunities, we have to meet them where they are. By combining music, mentorship, employer engagement and career exploration, we are introducing participants to an industry they may never have considered, but one that offers some of the most promising pathways to economic mobility in America today.
The event is part of the the Energy Jobs Program, a partnership between the Urban League and Center for Energy Workforce Development, created to diversify the energy workforce and expand access to high-quality careers. The program connects energy companies with Urban League affiliates, which recruit and prepare candidates through community-based training, mentorship and workforce readiness programs.
The results speak for themselves.
Over the last four years, the Urban Energy Jobs Program has placed nearly 500 people into energy careers across Chicago, Houston, Louisville, New Orleans and St. Louis. Those placements have generated more than $20 million in economic mobility, with participants earning an average starting wage of $21 per hour.
These are not temporary jobs. They are careers with opportunities for advancement, stability and family-sustaining wages.
That opportunity is especially important in Chicago. Illinois’ energy sector employs roughly 5% percent of the state’s workforce, yet many residents remain unaware of the industry’s breadth. Energy careers extend far beyond power generation. They include construction, manufacturing, engineering, cybersecurity, information technology, skilled trades, environmental services and business operations. Many of these careers can be accessed through apprenticeships, certifications and technical training rather than a four-year degree.
Energy careers also extend beyond traditional utilities. They include building trades; workers constructing solar farms; manufacturing workers fabricating batteries and turbines; and engineers keeping our grid resilient and responsive by planning for known and unknown changes in supply and demand.
For too long, Black communities and other underserved populations have faced barriers to entering fast-growing industries. Closing those gaps requires more than good intentions. It requires partnerships that connect talent with opportunity.
That is exactly what the Urban Energy Jobs Program was designed to do.
The Center for Energy Workforce Development and the National Urban League launched the initiative because the energy industry needs a workforce that better reflects the communities it serves. The goal is to make careers in energy as attractive, accessible and widely understood as careers in technology, medicine or law, while creating clear pathways into the workforce for people who may never have seen energy as a viable option.
The Chicago Urban League plays a critical role in that effort. Its deep community relationships and workforce expertise help ensure residents are not simply informed about opportunities but are prepared to pursue them.
At a time when employers across the energy sector are searching for skilled workers, expanding access to these careers is both an economic imperative and an equity imperative. The nation cannot afford to overlook talent that exists in every neighborhood and every community.
Workforce development is often discussed in abstract terms. Energy Up Chicago makes it tangible.
When a young person walks into the House of Blues and leaves with a connection to an employer, an apprenticeship opportunity, or a roadmap to a career, that is more than workforce development. It is economic mobility in action.
The future of the energy industry will depend on who gets access to the opportunities it creates. Our goal is simple: to ensure that opportunity reaches everyone.
While Wednesday’s event is at capacity, people can sign up on the standby waitlist at makeanimpactconcerts.org/chicago.
Marc H. Morial is president and CEO of the National Urban League and was mayor of New Orleans from 1994 to 2002.