Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability Report 2020

Our Approach

We take a multi-pronged approach to developing our talent within PG&E. Through our talent identification efforts, robust training offerings at PG&E Academy, and targeted efforts at building workforce pipelines such as Power Pathway, PG&E remains poised to have the talent needed to meet the needs of our business.

We provide employees a range of technical training on the knowledge and skills required to perform their jobs safely using approved tools and work procedures. These courses help prepare our workforce as we integrate new technologies, systems and processes into our operations. Consistent with PG&E’s commitment to ensuring all employees are qualified to perform their assigned tasks over the duration of their careers, PG&E offers a range of skill refresher and employee development courses.

In addition, PG&E’s long-term strategic planning includes employee and leadership development, as well as succession planning, with a commitment to fill 75 percent of management vacancies in the positions of director-level and higher with internal candidates.

2019 Milestones

In 2019, notable accomplishments included:

• Power Pathway enters its second decade of service: We continued to partner with local workforce development organizations to hold Power Pathway programs for our gas and electric lines of business. The programs represent our commitment to working within our communities and developing diverse and underemployed talent to meet the needs of our future workforce. During the year, programs took place in Sacramento, San Jose, and Oakland. Our Power Pathway efforts support our desire to reflect the communities we serve.
• Skill Development Partnership with Cal Poly: As part of the decommissioning of our Diablo Canyon Power Plant, we have dedicated $11 million to the reskilling of plant employees by the year 2025. This marks a one-of-a-kind collaboration between PG&E and California Polytechnic State University.
• Introduced a new Leadership Development Program: PG&E Academy introduced a new leadership program, Leading the Energy Network of Tomorrow. This program develops PG&E’s leaders to think innovatively, lead through change, build high performing teams, and make sound and strategic decisions while delivering measurable results. The program also prepares leaders to build the energy network of tomorrow while safely and reliably delivering affordable, clean energy to customers today. Upon completion of the program, participants will be better prepared to:
  • Support PG&E’s sustainable energy future, given the ongoing changes in markets, regulations and policies.
  • Make data-driven decisions that align with PG&E’s safety and affordability goals.
  • Innovate and refine solutions that are customer-focused and human-centric.
  • Influence change that yields lasting results.
  • Develop high performing teams who work through collaboration and partnership.

We also continued to make strides toward our leadership and employee development goals through our 31 apprenticeship programs. An example is the Apprentice Line Worker program: a comprehensive four-year initiative designed to develop the safest and most proficient line workers in the industry through a combination of field and classroom training.

Measuring Progress

We work to hire from within our own ranks whenever possible, with an overall goal to provide opportunities for our employees to develop their skills. In 2019, to fill positions, 51 percent of our employees were either promoted or moved into new roles, and 1,672 new employees joined PG&E.

As part of our continuing commitment to our employees, we delivered more than 670,000 hours of technical, leadership and employee training in 2019. This includes more than 9,000 hours of training delivered via our on-site Virtual Learning courses, which help us extend learning and training opportunities to our employees where they work.

To measure success, employees who participate complete surveys and provide feedback on how much the training has increased their knowledge. For courses that teach technical skills or reinforce skills that involve high-consequence tasks, every employee is required to pass an assessment that covers both knowledge and skills gained.

At PG&E Academy, our in-house organization charged with enhancing employees’ skills and qualifications, we introduced a new five-point scale survey in 2014, asking employees to rate their ability to use training on the job. In 2019, training effectiveness was 4.57, meeting our goal.

Year over year, we also strive to increase the number of Power Pathway programs offered in our service area. Power Pathway’s utility industry hire rate is 82 percent, with 50 percent being veterans, and 67 percent being minority or women graduates. Of those hired into PG&E since inception, 69 percent are minority, 46 percent are veterans, and 10 percent are women graduates.