BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Feb. 24, 2009 - More than 100 Jefferson and Shelby county students will get
on-the-job training from Alabama Power engineers at company headquarters Feb. 26 for E-Day, or Engineering Day.

Those who work with the program say they want to educate and inspire students interested in pursuing an engineering career. Alabama Power employee Grant Gilmer says it also provides a great opportunity to educate students about working with the company. “They need to know what opportunities await them and simply what an engineer does at Alabama Power,” he said.
 
This is the second E-Day seminar. Last year’s positive response encouraged Alabama Power to host even more students this year. “We can teach them in class, but we can’t show them the professional life of an engineer in class, or what engineers do on a daily basis,” said Gilmer.

This year nearly 120 students and faculty from 14 high schools will participate in E-Day, including Huffman, Homewood, Wenonah, Sylacauga, Ramsay, Jackson-Olin, Pelham, Woodlawn, Hewitt-Trussville, West Blocton, Shades Valley Technical Academies and Shelby School of Technology. Program hours are 8:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.

This seminar is part of the Learning of Engineering Applications and Principles (LEAP) program, which includes class presentations and mentoring partnerships, in addition to E-Day.

Alabama Power, a subsidiary of Atlanta-based Southern Company (NYSE:SO), provides reliable, affordable electricity to more than 1.4 million customers across the state.  To find out more information about Alabama Power Company, visit www.alabamapower.com.

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Media Contact: Keisa Sharpe, (205) 257-4155, ksharpe@southernco.com