For Ra’Naeja Lewis, the skilled trades have always felt like the right fit. While attending Randolph Career and Technical Center in Detroit, Ra’Naeja developed an interest in the electrical field through DTE Energy’s Career Awareness and Preparation for Employment (CAPE) program. During her senior year, she learned about DTE’s Future Leaders of Energy Efficiency Training (FLEET), a pilot program giving high school students hands-on experience and preparing them for careers in energy efficiency, building performance and HVAC.
FLEET is helping connect Detroit high school students to career paths where skilled workers are needed most. Michigan’s teen unemployment rate reached 18% this summer and the state is facing an estimated shortage of 45,000 skilled trades workers each year through 2030, which makes training programs like FLEET even more critical.
“FLEET gives us everything we need to succeed,” Ra’Naeja said. “They’re giving us certifications, hands-on experience and opportunities to meet people who can actually help us get started in our careers. It makes me feel great as a young woman in the trades and like people are paying attention and that there are opportunities for me.”
Developed by DTE in partnership with Walker-Miller Energy Services, FLEET provides paid training, industry-recognized certifications, hands-on experience, professional development, transportation assistance and connections to employer partners.
As the only young woman in her cohort, Ra’Naeja has embraced the opportunity to pursue a career in an industry where women remain underrepresented. The experience has given her a clearer view of what a future in the trades could look like and the confidence to pursue it.
To learn how DTE provides Michiganders with paid training, industry-recognized certifications and hands-on experience to prepare for careers in the energy efficiency industry, visit empoweringmichigan.com/eeacademy.