Hampton-based natural gas and electricity utility Unitil Corp. is working to recruit the next generation of lineworkers as the industry prepares for a wave of retirements within its older workforce. The company has made finding new talent through local colleges, trade schools, job fairs and other efforts a priority.
“Like others in the industry, we’re anticipating a number of retirements over the next few years, and it’s critical that we plan for it now,” said Media Relations Manager Alec O’Meara. “We have a great team of lineworkers in place currently, and we hope they’ll stay with us for a long time, but we recognize that we need to prepare for the future and ensure we maintain high-quality service.”
Last November, Unitil hosted its own job fair at its headquarters in Hampton, aimed at attracting more military veterans.
The company has also been working to build a new relationship with Manchester Community College, which already offers an electrical lineworker certificate program that has been embraced by another utility, Eversource.
“We were very impressed when we toured the school and met with some of the students in the program. On the day we visited, we got a chance to see the students getting some hands-on experience while practicing pole climbing in the school’s own training yard,” O’Meara said.
Over the past several months, representatives from Unitil have attended job fairs in person and virtually at the University of New Hampshire, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Southern New Hampshire University and New Hampshire Works.
In addition to targeting lineworkers, Unitil has made efforts to attract graduates from trade schools like the New Hampshire School of Mechanical Trades, Granite State Trade School and NHTI after finding that some are a good fit for open positions in the company’s gas and electric divisions.
In addition, a push has also been made to increase job advertising on more websites, including diverse sites.
Unitil is now posting jobs on social media channels for the first time this year and has completely revamped its job ads to include information about the company, benefits and commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.
“We’re being more proactive than ever and really trying to reach out to potential candidates instead of waiting for them to apply,” O’Meara said. “We believe that the efforts we’re making today will really strengthen our workforce for years to come.”
