Ohio Edison, Penn Power Hire New Graduates from Power Systems Institute Training Program

AKRON, Ohio, June 23, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Ohio Edison and Penn Power, subsidiaries of FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE), have hired 12 new graduates from the Power Systems Institute (PSI), the company's award-winning, two-year educational program that helps train the next generation of line and substation workers for FirstEnergy's 10 electric companies. 

The new employees include 11 line workers and one substation electrician in Ohio and Pennsylvania who are recent graduates of the company's PSI training partnership with Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C) in Cleveland and Stark State College in Canton.

"For 20 years, our PSI program has strengthened our diverse workforce pipeline and instilled safe work practices, proper work methods and teambuilding by developing the well-educated men and women needed to provide reliable power to customers," said Edward Shuttleworth, regional president of Ohio Edison and Penn Power. "We welcome these graduates joining our workforce to help continue providing safe and reliable electric service for our customers in Ohio."

Ohio Edison and Penn Power's new PSI graduates include:

• Aaron Fonderlin, Canfield
• Neil Ginnetti, Alliance
• Michael Ginnis, Poland
• Evan Johnson, Cortland
• Justin Jones, Homeworth
• Mike Lanterman, Youngstown
• Michael Rodino, Canfield
• Nathaniel Smollen, Lucas
• Matthew Tackacs Jr, Navarre
• Nolan Yartz, Bristolville

The PSI curriculum requires two and a half days each week spent between classes at Stark State and Ohio Edison training facilities in Massillon and Warren to focus on safe work practices and procedures in the electrical environment.

PSI was originally developed by FirstEnergy in 2000. Students who successfully complete the program earn an associate degree from an affiliated community college in their area. Since the program's inception, FirstEnergy has hired more than 2,000 line and substation personnel who completed PSI programs in Maryland, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. 

For information about the PSI program, call 1-800-829-6801, or go to www.firstenergycorp.com/psi.

Ohio Edison is a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp. and serves more than one million customers across 34 Ohio counties.  Follow Ohio Edison on Twitter @OhioEdison, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/OhioEdison, and online at www.ohioedison.com.  Penn Power serves more than 160,000 customers in all or parts of Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Crawford, Lawrence, and Mercer counties in western Pennsylvania. Follow Penn Power on Twitter @Penn_Power, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PennPower, and online at www.pennpower.com.

FirstEnergy Corp. is dedicated to integrity, safety, reliability and operational excellence. Its 10 electric distribution companies form one of the nation's largest investor-owned electric systems, serving customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, Maryland and New York. The company's transmission subsidiaries operate approximately 24,000 miles of transmission lines that connect the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions. Follow FirstEnergy online at www.firstenergycorp.com. Follow FirstEnergy and its utilities on Twitter @FirstEnergyCorp, @ToledoEdison, @IlluminatingCo, @OhioEdison, @MonPowerWV, @JCP_L, @Penn_Power, @Penelec, @Met_Ed, @PotomacEdison, @W_Penn_Power.

Editor's Note: Photos of FirstEnergy Power Systems Institute graduates are available for download on Flickr.

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SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.