| Business & Strategic Issues
Pricing | This two-day course is intended to provide participants with a general manager’s perspective and understanding of the business issues associated with running a electric distribution utility. The course will provide a background on our industry, the fundamentals of rate making and a basis for developing a managerial accounting system. Students will come away with an understanding of how to determine the financial health of the utility, and they will learn concepts that will allow them to better interface with governing bodies, employees, and the community on the financial issues and standing of the utility. This is a NASBA approved class. The instructional delivery method is “group-live.” You will receive 14 CPE credits in the Finance field of study. In accordance with the standards of the National Registry of CPE Sponsors, CPE Credits have been granted based on a 50- minute hour. The program level is Intermediate. There are not any prerequisites for this course.
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| Components of Strategic Planning
Pricing | Change can be planned or unplanned. Strategic planning is a planned change process designed for creating desired, future results, typically within 3 to 5 years. The design of this workshop focuses on preparing departments/organizations to initiate a strategic planning process and assess their readiness for strategic change. This is a NASBA approved class. The instructional delivery method is “group-live.” You will receive 14 CPE credits in the Business Management and Organization field of study. In accordance with the standards of the National Registry of CPE Sponsors, CPE Credits have been granted based on a 50- minute hour. The program level is Advanced. There are not any prerequisites for this course.
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| Conflict Mediation
Pricing | According to the American Management Association (AMA), supervisors/managers spend about 24% of their time addressing conflict issues in the workplace. Conflict can be both positive and negative; unaddressed conflict frequently escalates, resulting in additional loss of productivity. Proper diagnosis and evaluation of conflict can result in a 25% reduction in time required to reach resolution. This 1 day course teaches participants the skills to proactively address conflict and use the appropriate mediation style to achieve resolution. Students must have completed Dynamics of Change course to enroll.
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| Dynamics of Change
Pricing | The environment of the utility industry is one of constant change further challenged by significant pending regulatory change. Utility managers are challenged by responding to those changes and implementing strategies for the future. This highly interactive workshop describes the various types of change, roles in the change process, and methods for planning/implementing strategic changes. Participants will create an on-the-job change strategy application. If participants have not already taken the DISC profile, you will need to do so. This is a NASBA approved class. The instructional delivery method is “group-live.” You will receive 14 CPE credits in the Business Management and Organization field of study. In accordance with the standards of the National Registry of CPE Sponsors, CPE Credits have been granted based on a 50- minute hour. The program level is Intermediate. You must complete the course “Leadership Bridge” before enrolling in this course.
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| Introduction to Pricing and Rate Design
Pricing | We are facing a changing marketing place of exploding technology in metering, demand and energy control, efficiency, smart homes, smart appliances, distributed energy resource (DERs), and customers looking for greater control and more effective customer interfaces through apps, social media, and other innovations. Understanding pricing of electricity and how it fits into this new world, the basis for existing pricing, and how it needs to change to meet the new realities of a competitive environment at the distribution level is more critical than ever.
This 2-day course lays the foundation for understanding the fundamental principles of rate design and pricing, now and going forward. We start by examining fundamentals of the generation system and how it works, types of generation and costs, and how units are dispatched. We then look at how these costs are categorized and assigned to demand, energy, and other costs for pricing purposes.
Next we look into how rates are designed to recover these costs while meeting a number of pricing goals and objectives. This includes an examination of goals and objectives, determining costs and revenue requirements, costing by season and time-of-use, coming up with billing determinants, and designing rates by revising existing rates and creating new rates. We also look at pricing challenges created by DER (such as solar) and other alternatives to the traditional grid and how we are responding.
We then examine and discuss actual wholesale and retail rates, and how these were designed in light of the goals and objectives to be met, and where we go from here.
The course also includes an Appendix with terminology and acronyms that we use in the industry, as well as other pertinent information for reference.
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| Leadership Bridge
Pricing | This leadership class will focus on the desired results of management and how they relate to various leadership styles and effectiveness. This course will review the four leadership styles dealing with flexibility and to lead more effectively. It relates to the DISC model and how you will begin to focus on self awareness by analyzing behavior and relating it to leadership style. You will also learn how to diagnose the development level and enhance motivation among your subordinates. You will need to take a DISC profile and read the book “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team” before attending this class. This is a NASBA approved class. The instructional delivery method is “group-live.” You will receive 21 CPE credits in the Communications field of study.In accordance with the standards of the National Registry of CPE Sponsors, CPE Credits have been granted based on a 50- minute hour. The program level is Intermediate. There are not any prerequisites for this course.
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| Meeting Management
Pricing | Not all meetings are the same. Just as they have different purposes, they need different facilitation styles. This 1 day workshop helps participants to analyze meeting types, determine appropriate meeting design and apply targeted facilitation skills to improve meeting efficiency (time) and effectiveness(outcomes).
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| Understanding Human Resources
Pricing | During this 2 day course participants will explore utility-specific Management/Supervision and resource management. As well as personnel practices including Management/Supervision and behavior, employee selection, job analysis, effective staffing, training and development, compensation management, employee appraisals, employment law, case studies. Current issues such as federal regulations, sexual harassment, wellness, and drug testing will also be covered. Trends in utility personnel management are also examined.
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| Utility Law
Pricing | This course reviews the legal problems that can occur in electric utility system management. Participants study issues related to the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act (PURPA), TVA and government regulations, system design, contract use and negotiation, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and employee benefits. As well as billing, collections and energy diversion, purchasing practices and procedures, vehicle operation, easement and property acquisitions, and the operations and liabilities of a utility’s governing board. This is a NASBA approved class. The instructional delivery method is “group-live.” You will receive 14 CPE credits in the Business Law field of study. In accordance with the standards of the National Registry of CPE Sponsors, CPE Credits have been granted based on a 50- minute hour. The program level is Advanced. There are not any prerequisites for this course.
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