WPS provides students hands-on experience at energy career fair

Drones whizzed through the air. A small group huddled together for an up-close look at electrical equipment. Professionals demonstrated how natural gas lines are connected.

Wisconsin Public Service (WPS) recently provided a full day of interactive opportunities to help nearly 150 high school students learn about the important jobs that power their communities. The company sponsored an energy career fair on Oct. 17 at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College (NWTC) for area high schools.

WPS field operations employees took part in the career fair, sharing their knowledge with students about the skills needed to keep the lights on and heat flowing around the clock. At one station, WPS employees showed students how electrical systems are built using equipment such as transformers, insulators and fuses. Students also received a step-by-step look at how natural gas flows from pipelines to the meters that serve homes and businesses.

A woman in a red coat speaks with a small group of high school students near a large WPS vehicle.

A male WPS employee discusses joining two yellow plastic pipes together inside a large room.

A high school student looks through a thermal imaging camera inside a classroom.

Drones and remote controls lie on orange circular mats on a table.

A group of students listens to electricians on a sunny day describe how solar panels operate.

Students look at the technology inside a blue electric vehicle.

The energy career fair gave students hands-on opportunities to learn about new technologies and energy efficiency careers. These stations included:

A solar energy installation challenge
An up-close look at electric vehicles
An interactive solar and energy storage display
Heating, ventilation and air conditioning discussions
Home weatherization and insulation technologies
Thermal imaging tests using drones and handheld cameras

WPS hosted the energy career fair in partnership with Slipstream, NWTC, Wisconsin K-12 Energy Education Program, Midwest Renewable Energy Association, Wisconsin Clean Cities and the Wisconsin Energy Workforce Consortium.

The energy career fair in Green Bay is among the many initiatives WPS uses to develop and maintain a highly skilled workforce. The company works with local schools and industry groups throughout the year to raise awareness of student positions, internships and careers in the energy industry. More information about careers and job openings at WPS is available on the company’s website.