Local high school students have a chance to win a free iPod by participating in Florida Careers in Energy Week. For the second year, October 17-21 has been officially designated by Governor Rick Scott as Florida Careers in Energy Week.

Led by the Florida Energy Workforce Consortium (FEWC), the week is dedicated to celebrating careers in energy and recognizing their importance to our communities.

Gulf Power helped form FEWC in 2006 which works to bring together energy companies, education  and workforce development representatives to build a future energy workforce for Florida.

This year, in celebration of Florida Careers in Energy Week, Gulf Power is partnering with the FEWC to sponsor an essay contest for Florida high school students. The contest will be for grades 9-12 and the theme for the essay is “Energy Workers Make a World of Difference.”

Each participating school will select five essays to be submitted to the FEWC.

The top three essay winners will receive a free iPod.  Their essays will be published on the FEWC’s website and on getintoenergyflorida.com.

Participating in Florida Careers in Energy Week is one of several ways Gulf Power promotes student interest in the energy field. This year, Gulf Power also celebrates the ten-year anniversary of their career academy at West Florida High School.

The career academy is integrated into the West Florida High School curriculum and is designed to prepare students for entry-level work in the electric utility industry or for post-secondary education in engineering, electronics, and other technical fields of study.

Thomas Mitchell, a Gulf Power line technician, was part of the very first graduating class in 2005 and was hired in August, 2005. “Gulf Power Academy opened up my eyes to avenues and options out there that no kid in high school knows about,” Mitchell said. “I learned about different fields and different jobs I could do.”

For the Florida Careers in Energy Week essay contest guidelines and registration form, go to www.getintoenergyflorida.com. For more information on the FEWC, visit www.fewc.org.

To learn more about Gulf Power’s energy workforce development efforts, go to gulfpower.com and look under Education.

Gulf Power Company is an investor-owned electric utility with all of its common stock owned by Atlanta-based Southern Company. Gulf Power serves more than 430,000 customers in eight counties throughout Northwest Florida. The company’s mission is to safely deliver affordable, reliable and environmentally responsible electric service to our customers while working to improve the communities we serve. Visit online at GulfPower.com or on the company’s Facebook page, “Gulf Power Company.”