20 graduates move towards full-time employment on a path to high-paying, sustainable careers
ATLANTA, GA / ACCESS Newswire / May 12, 2026 / The Westside Resilience Corridor today announced the graduation of the inaugural cohort of its Career Pre-Employment Training (CPET) workforce development program, held on May 11 at 6 p.m. at Community Church Atlanta, 850 Cascade Avenue SW, Atlanta, GA 30311. Mayor Andre Dickens served as the keynote speaker for the ceremony, underscoring the City of Atlanta’s commitment to investing in the strength and resilience of Atlanta’s neighborhoods.
“The city doesn’t move forward because one office or one company or one church decides to do something. It moves forward when the right people get in a room together and commit to a shared outcome. Georgia Power brought a proven curriculum and direct pipelines to real careers-power delivery, plant operations and customer service. Groundswell brought the vision and the partnership infrastructure-connecting this program to a broader Westside strategy centered on resilience, affordability, and opportunity. The Westside Resilience Corridor anchored this in the neighborhood. That matters,” said Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens. “The energy grid that powers Atlanta-that keeps hospitals running, that keeps homes warm in Winter, that keeps the lights on in neighborhoods like this one-is maintained by people. Real people from real communities doing skilled, essential work. The people building and maintaining that infrastructure did not always look like this community. They did not always come from the Westside or the Southside. This is changing-and you are part of that change.”
“Our vision for this resilience hub and the Westside Resilience Corridor has always been about loving our neighbors by opening pathways to real, tangible opportunity for people in this community,” said Pastor Kevin Earley, Community Church Atlanta. “Seeing our first CPET cohort walk across this stage- job-ready, confident, and already on a trajectory toward high-quality careers- is a powerful sign of what’s possible when churches, community partners, and employers work together for the benefit of our neighbors.”
The Westside Resilience Corridor Career Pre-Employment Training (CPET) Program is a no-cost, 10-session skills-prep series that equips participants with the tools, support, and confidence needed to pursue careers in power delivery (energy lineworkers), plant operations, and customer service, with all technical training provided by Georgia Power. This neighborhood-based workforce development program is hosted and administered by Community Church Atlanta at the VICARS Community Center, the site of the first community-owned resilience hub in the City of Atlanta. The CPET program is delivered in partnership with The Westside Resilience Corridor churches, Georgia Power, and Groundswell, with support from the City of Atlanta and the Reilly Family Fund.
“With community leaders at the helm driving the vision, and partners like all of us working alongside them, we’re opening real pathways to economic opportunity for Westside residents and their families,” commented Matthew Wesley Williams, SVP of Community Development at Groundswell. “This is what community-powered resilience looks like,” added Michelle Moore, CEO of Groundswell.
“Georgia Power is honored to partner with the Westside Resilience Corridor and Vicars Community Center to open doors into family-supporting careers in the energy industry,” said Deon Tucker, Vice President of the Metro Atlanta Region for Georgia Power. “These graduates are stepping into roles that are essential to keeping our grid strong, our customers served, and our communities resilient in the face of change.”
The CPET program is opening new pathways to high-paying energy careers for Atlanta-area residents by combining pre-employment testing support, job-readiness training, and industry-specific skills development to prepare participants for in-demand roles across Georgia’s energy sector. Twenty (20) trainees are completing the program, with each graduate moving into a full-time role or onto a defined path to high-paying, sustainable careers in or related to the energy industry, including power delivery, plant operations, and customer service.
Kelli Williams, a participant in the inaugural CPET cohort, reflected on her experience, “The best part of the program for me was the camaraderie. From orientation, the staff provided an ‘I believe in you’ energy and constant motivation. They were always available for assistance, and I consistently left sessions feeling like I could accomplish anything. This program introduced me to opportunities I never thought possible and is truly built to uplift the community.”
“Being part of the Westside Resilience Corridor has been a powerful experience that rebuilt my confidence and sense of purpose,” added CPET participant, Isaiah Jasmin. “The program showed me that we are capable of more than just finding a job-we can build real careers and be part of something bigger. I’m grateful for the opportunity and for everyone who poured into us along the way.”
The inaugural CPET cohort of 22 trainees was selected from a pool of nearly 100 applicants, reflecting strong community demand for clear pathways into meaningful, high-paying careers. The program’s “train and place” model ensures that participants are not only prepared but also connected to real job opportunities, with graduates entering positions across linework, customer service, plant operations, and warehouse roles that support the region’s energy infrastructure. Here are a few key indicators of this inaugural cohort’s success:
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Before graduation, 11 of the 20 participants who completed the program have already received full-time job offers with the City of Atlanta, Georgia Power, or contractor partners, or enrolled in further credentialing programs. These results show strong momentum toward meeting or surpassing the program’s 70-85% job placement goal range within 90 days of program completion.
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The CPET program’s overall completion rate was 91% (20 of 22 enrolled participants), exceeding the 80-90% completion baseline range. The cohort would have remained at 21 participants if one trainee had not needed to relocate for family caregiving responsibilities.
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All enrollees secured at least one job interview by the end of the program, including opportunities with Georgia Power, Millhouse, Utility Energy Service (UES), Home Depot, and the City of Atlanta, resulting in a 100% interview rate that outperformed the program’s 85-95% target range.
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By the program midpoint, CPET achieved a 95% retention rate, with 21 of 22 training slots still filled, well above the 85-90% midpoint retention target range.
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Seven participants received wraparound supports over the 10-week program, helping reduce barriers to enrollment, retention, and completion. Supports included childcare, emergency/crisis assistance, participation incentives for all enrollees, housing support, transportation (including Uber and emergency rides), and supplemental nutrition assistance.
About the Career Pre-Employment Training (CPET) Program
The CPET program is a no-cost, 10-session, pre-employment skills and workforce readiness series that prepares Atlanta-area residents to enter the energy industry and related fields. Participants receive targeted wrap-around support with pre-employment testing, industry awareness, and job-readiness competencies, alongside exposure to technical training pathways delivered by Georgia Power and industry partners.
About the Westside Resilience Corridor
Launched in 2025, the Westside Resilience Corridor is a coalition of four anchor institutions-West Hunter Street Baptist Church, Providence Missionary Baptist Church, Community Church Atlanta, and Atlanta Good Shepherd Community Church-on Atlanta’s Southwest side working in covenant partnership with Groundswell. With support from Georgia Power, the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority, the City of Atlanta, the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, and Google, the Corridor is expanding community access to critical resources and infrastructure, preserving energy and housing affordability, advancing economic mobility, and strengthening grid reliability.
Through these partnerships, historic congregations and community institutions are building a local network of resilience hubs and related solutions that deliver tangible benefits for residents of Atlanta’s Westside, including access to clean energy, resilience services, and workforce development opportunities like the CPET program.
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About Groundswell
Groundswell builds community power to strengthen local resilience for everyone and cut electricity bills in half for our neighbors who need savings the most. We use community solar, resilience hubs, and energy efficiency to preserve affordable housing, strengthen the grid, and support local economic development. Our people-centric and place-based programs are tailored to deliver tangible benefits and align with the local priorities across the Heartland, Mid-Atlantic, and Southeast. Groundswell leverages our GratavaTM data platform to enable grounded scale while ensuring measurable success. We’re on track to deliver over $29 million in annual energy savings to more than 36,000 families and deploy more than 40 resilience hubs across 12 states by 2030.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Kenrick Escalanti
kenrick.escalanti@groundswell.org
Photo Credit: Gold Green Collectives
SOURCE: Groundswell
View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire
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