People in Power (PIP) is a partnership between the U.S. Department of Energy’s Arctic Energy Office, Denali Commission and REAP that works to improve performance at small, independent electric utilities in rural Alaska through targeted staff training.
PIP develops capacity at Alaska’s stand-alone utilities in a collaborative process that prioritizes the voices, preferences and needs of local communities.
Independent electric utilities are the lifeblood of rural Alaska. They keep power flowing to village services and homes in the most challenging conditions. With thin margins and few employees, opportunities for regular training and continuing education are often difficult to find.
PIP develops sustainable and responsive training frameworks that build local capacity and support individual utilities’ needs. The program focuses on assessing and improving performance in four key utility occupational areas that are critical for ensuring a community’s energy resilience:
- Governance
- Management
- Operations
- Clerical
After researching, collecting data and meeting with local community stakeholders, PIP sets up custom training schedules and facilitates training delivery for partner utilities. Training sessions are both remote and in-person, in collaboration with state-wide and regional training partners.
Electric Utility Training Inventory
As part of its work, PIP compiles and maintains an inventory of utility training resources and opportunities available for independent electric utilities throughout Alaska.
see the training inventory