Officials from Bogotá, Colombia are visiting Pensacola on Friday, Nov. 12 to study the successful Gulf Power Academy at West Florida High School.

Gulf Power has been working with officials from CEELAT (The Center for Latin American Strategic Studies) who are planning for the opening of their first energy career academy in Bogotá in the fall of 2011. Their objective is to put together a road map and identify all of the elements necessary to create the first Energy Academy in Colombia.

“The team from Colombia will be meeting with Gulf Power, officials from West Florida High and Escambia County School District to learn more about how the Academy was created and what it takes to operate a energy career academy,” said Jeff Rogers of Gulf Power. “The Academy at West Florida High has been a model for other career academies all over the nation.”

Started in 2001 as a partnership with West Florida High School in Pensacola, Gulf Power Academy is a three-year curriculum, including traditional high school academic courses, which prepares students for a career in the electric utility industry.

Students who graduate from the Academy may choose either immediate employment with the company if they qualify and are selected or post-secondary education, taking advantage of their 15 hours of college credit earned in the program.

Since the Academy was launched, 37 graduates have been hired full-time, and countless others have gone on to pursue post-secondary degrees critical to the energy industry.

Gulf Power is committed to help students understand how science and math are critical foundations to many careers and to teaching skills needed to join the workforce. To find out more about Gulf Power’s education initiatives, please visit www.gulfpower.com/ecodev/wf_development.asp.

Gulf Power Company is an investor-owned electric utility that serves more than 428,000 customers in 10 counties throughout Northwest Florida. The company’s mission is to safely deliver affordable, reliable and environmentally responsible energy to very satisfied customers in strong communities.