Empowering our neighbors with the skills to succeed in Georgia's growing energy industry

ATLANTA, GA / ACCESS Newswire / February 19, 2026 / The Westside Resilience Corridor, in partnership with Georgia Power, the City of Atlanta, and Groundswell, is opening new pathways to high-paying energy careers for Atlanta-area residents through the launch of the Career Pre-Employment Training (CPET) Program on Monday, March 2, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. Hosted by the Vicars Community Center at Community Church Atlanta, this Southwest Atlanta-based workforce initiative combines pre-employment testing support, job-readiness training, and industry-specific skills development to prepare participants for in-demand roles across Georgia's energy sector.

The CPET program connects Westside neighbors to sustainable, upwardly mobile careers that keep essential local infrastructure operating, from power lines and plants to customer service systems. When residents secure living-wage, wealth-building, utility careers, household stability increases, energy insecurity declines, and communities are better able to prepare for, withstand, and recover from disruptions. "Workforce development is community resilience in action," commented Matthew Wesley Williams, Groundswell Senior VP of Community Development. "Resilience is not only about recovering from storms. It's about co-creating the everyday conditions our communities need to survive and thrive."

"We want more of the people who build and maintain the energy system serving our city and state to come from Atlanta's Westside. As the city's first community-owned resilience hub, we are proud to launch this energy workforce training program with our partners, honoring our history of service while shaping what comes next for this community," commented Pastor Kevin Earley of Community Church Atlanta.

The Vicars Community Center at Community Church Atlanta will host the 10-week program, connecting local residents to careers and skilled trades in the energy industry. As the site of Atlanta's first community-owned resilience hub, Vicars is a natural home for the program. Community members are invited to attend an in-person information session on Monday, March 2, at 6:00 p.m. ET at Vicars Community Center, 838 Cascade Avenue SW, Atlanta, GA 30311. During this session, participants will learn more about CPET and how to enroll.

Among those who attend the March 2 session, 15-20 residents will be selected for the first training cohort. CPET is a no-cost, 10-session skills-prep series that equips participants with the tools, support, and confidence needed to pursue careers in power delivery (energy lineworkers), plant operations, and customer service, with all technical training provided by Georgia Power.

"At Georgia Power, we believe strong communities and a reliable energy future are built through meaningful partnerships and investments in people," said Latanza Adjei, Senior VP and Chief Customer Officer at Georgia Power. "Through this collaboration with the Westside Resilience Corridor, Groundswell, and the City of Atlanta, we're creating pathways for Atlanta residents to pursue long‑term careers and become the next generation of energy professionals. As Georgia continues to grow, we remain committed to developing a workforce that reflects and serves the communities we power every day."

"Groundswell delivers on our mission of building community power by strengthening local resilience and creating real pathways to economic opportunity with clean energy," added Michelle Moore, CEO of Groundswell. "By connecting people with the skills and opportunities to succeed in the energy industry, we are investing directly in local talent and resilience on Atlanta's Westside."

"This initiative is a great example of what we mean when we say, ‘Atlanta is a group project,' and aligns with our Administration's Atlanta Neighborhood Reinvestment Initiative-a collective commitment to access and opportunity in every Atlanta neighborhood, particularly historically underserved communities," said Mayor Andre Dickens. "We continue to emphasize that every Atlanta resident - including those in the Westside and Southside - should have equal opportunity and support to gain access to economic prosperity. Neighborhood-based programs like CPET provide on-ramps to sustainable economic pathways for historic communities that have long been the backbone of Atlanta's culture and legacy."

Partners and Roles

• Vicars Community Center (Host/Administrator): Serves as the host site and program administrator, providing facilities, program scheduling, wraparound services, and cohort case management (in partnership with the City of Atlanta) to reduce barriers to local participation and program completion. As an active resilience hub, Vicars offers accessible space, reliable operations, and community trust.

• Georgia Power (Training/Education): Delivers a proven curriculum and leads implementation of the 10‑week CPET training program, aligned with utility hiring pipelines and broader energy‑industry career pathways.

• Westside Resilience Corridor (Workforce Pipeline): Initiates and anchors the neighborhood‑based recruitment and training effort as part of its workforce development efforts centered at Vicars Community Center at Community Church Atlanta, a member congregation of the Westside Resilience Corridor.

• Groundswell (Program Planning): Serves as a covenant partner with the Westside Resilience Corridor, supporting the collaborative planning and launch of the workforce development initiative, leading implementation of complementary Corridor program elements in home energy efficiency, resilience hub development, and community resilience planning.

• City of Atlanta (Access and Research): Acts as a planning and implementation partner to ensure full access for Atlanta residents by reducing barriers to participation, and leverages research from the Mayor's Office's Co‑Design Lab to support career planning for participants as part of cohort case management in collaboration with the Vicars Community Center team.

Program Highlights

• Who: 15-20 individuals interested in launching or transitioning into energy careers

• What: Career Pre-Employment Training (CPET) Introductory Information Session

• When: Monday, March 2, 2026, at 6 p.m. ET

• Where: Vicars Community Center, 838 Cascade Avenue, SW, Atlanta, GA 30311

• Format: In-person information session to learn about the program and how to enroll

• Sign Up Link: https://groundswell.org/westside-resilience-corridor/career-pre-employment-training/

About the Westside Resilience Corridor

Launched in 2025, the Westside Resilience Corridor is a coalition of four anchor institutions-West Hunter Street Baptist Church, Providence Missionary Baptist Church, Community Church Atlanta, and Atlanta Good Shepherd Community Church-on Atlanta's Southwest side working in covenant partnership with Groundswell. With support from Georgia Power, the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority, the City of Atlanta, the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, and Google, the Corridor is expanding community access to critical resources and infrastructure, preserving energy and housing affordability, advancing economic mobility, and strengthening grid reliability. Through these partnerships, historic congregations and community institutions are building a local network of resilience hubs and related solutions that deliver tangible benefits for residents of Atlanta's Westside.

For more information or to schedule an interview, contact:

Kenrick Escalanti
Director, Marketing and Communications, Groundswell
(928) 304-0650
Communications@groundswell.org

ABOUT GROUNDSWELL:

Groundswell builds community power to cut electricity bills in half and strengthen local resilience. We use community solar, energy storage, energy efficiency, and ethical AI to preserve affordable housing, strengthen the grid, and support local economic development. Our people-centric, place-based programs serve community-based partners across the Heartland, Mid-Atlantic, and Southeast. We're on track to deliver over $29 million in annual energy savings to more than 36,000 families and deploy more than 40 resilience hubs across 12 states by 2030.

SOURCE: Groundswell