By Saptarshi Dutt, City of Philadelphia Office of Human Resources

The Office of Human Resources (OHR) recently launched a new upskilling program for its Electronic Technicians. This initiative is designed to empower entry-level City employees with advanced skills necessary for the evolving electronic industry, with the goal of creating a highly competitive and productive skilled workforce.

On June 26, 2024, employees from the Airport, Water, and Streets Departments kicked off this new series, facilitated by a partnership with JEVS Human Services and Orleans Technical College.

This six-month, hybrid program is offered at no cost to participants and aims to equip City employees with advanced skills in the electronic industry. The curriculum is meticulously designed to cover a range of skills, including the design, installation, troubleshooting, replacement, upgrade, and maintenance of electrical equipment in various settings such as residential, commercial, and public establishments.

The program structure includes:

  • In-Person Training: 25 three-hour electronics classes and 25 four-hour electrical classes.
  • Online Training: 10 hours of OSHA training and 65 hours of Tooling U courses.
  • On-the-Job Training (OJT): Specialized skill-based training.
  • Methodology: A combination of lectures, labs, case studies, simulation software, interactive workshops, webinars, and hands-on training.
  • Assessments: Quizzes, tests, and projects to evaluate progress and proficiency.

Participants will also benefit from supervised on-the-job training, mentorship, tutoring, career advice, and job placement assistance. They are provided with necessary tools and equipment, including laptops, to support their learning journey.

The first cohort’s classroom session saw enthusiastic participation, and the OHR plans to continue hosting these upskilling programs for a wide variety of employees in the future including an upcoming program for Surveyor 1 level workers. This initiative represents a significant step towards building a future-ready workforce in Philadelphia.

Along with our upskilling programming the City of Philadelphia will soon be launching our first ever City College for Municipal Employment (CCME). It’s being developed to help future employees get the skills they need, and also a great way to start a career with the City of Philadelphia. Careers here come with good salaries, opportunity for growth, great benefits, and much more!

Posted in Blog JEVS Program: Orleans Technical College