The Alliance to Save Energy’s (Alliance) PowerSave Campus program was presented with the California Internship & Work Experience Association (CIWEA) Employer of the Year Award today at the 2014 Professional Development Conference in Long Beach, California.

PowerSave Campus is a student-driven energy efficiency education program that employs over 100 interns each year on 16 college campuses. Students in the program collaborate with faculty, staff and administrators to work on campus projects ranging from energy audits and energy saving competitions to green career fairs.

Accepting the award on behalf of the Alliance, Renee Lafrenz, Senior Program Manager of the PowerSave Campus program noted, “We are honored to be recognized by the CIWEA for the PowerSave Campus program and thank all of our industry and utility partners who help sustain the program throughout the state of California. PowerSave Campus fosters a commitment to sustainability and energy efficiency that transcends graduation; we’re proud to say that 83% of PowerSave Campus intern graduates work in the “green” job sector and 98% of alumni support sustainability in some form.”

“The PowerSave Campus program is an incubator of workforce development in the energy and sustainability sectors. Southern California Edison is a proud, long-time supporter of the program because of how effectively it instills these critical skills in students beyond the classroom,” said Yannira “Nina” Perez, who works in Business Energy Efficiency at Southern California Edison.

“Seeing the PowerSave Campus program in action at their 2014 annual summit, I was very impressed with the level of understanding the students had in the energy efficiency and environment fields. Having students ask me about opportunities they may have upon graduation to me means the program is working. I am glad to see the program getting much-deserved recognition from CIWEA” said Maurice “Hackett” Barney, Energy Programs Advisor at Southern California Gas.

CIWEA is a professional association of educators and employers founded in 1974 in support of college-level internship and work experience programs. The Alliance joins the ranks of past CIWEA Employer of the Year Award recipients including Shell Oil, Disneyland Resort and Universal Studios Hollywood.

“Educating college students on sustainability issues is a central way to ensure a more energy secure future; PowerSave Campus is entirely deserving of this recognition for its valuable contributions to the future sustainability work force,” said Pam Murray, Program Manager at Pacific Gas & Electric.

Linh-Chi Hua, Program Advisor at San Diego Gas & Electric said, “SDG&E has long seen value in the PowerSave Campus program for inspiring future leaders in energy efficiency. By saving over 160,000,000 kWh in 2013 alone, it is clear the program has made an impact on the way students think about energy.”