Issue link: http://alabamapower.uberflip.com/i/1095652
71 Educating young minds How do we get more female engineers in the workforce? By encouraging the ingenuity of more girls. More than 200 employee volunteers work with middle school girls through iCan to introduce them to careers in engineering through hands-on activities and field trips. iCan also sponsors a Girls Engineering Conference each spring that is open to all participants to share messages of STEM careers. Since its beginning in 2008, iCan volunteers connect with about 280 middle school girls each year. iCan Alabama Power's LEAP (Linemen, Engineers and Apprentice Program) provides ongoing career awareness support to high school students. Employee volunteers from all disciplines engage with roughly 15,000 students each year through career fairs, expositions, classroom presentations and facility tours to ignite interest in STEM careers. There is a significant opportunity for students willing to learn technical and trade skills. Alabama Power partners with the Alabama Department of Education to develop utility-lineworker coursework for Alabama high school students. Schools across our service territory have been identified to pilot the coursework, including: Birmingham Division – Clay-Chalkville High School. Eastern Division – Anniston High School. Western Division – Tuscaloosa Center of Technology. Southern Division – Montgomery Preparatory Academy for Career Technologies. Southeast Division – Eufaula High School. Mobile Division – T.L. Faulkner Career Technical Center. LEAP Alabama Department of Education High school students view a demonstration during Linemen Career Day.