Welcome Y'all!!!
South Carolina Electric & Gas will (finally) be hosting the 2008 WUTAB conference in
Charleston, South Carolina.
June 17-19, 2008
Welcome to the 2008 Western Utilities Training Advisory Board (WUTAB) website. WUTAB definitely isn’t just for members of western utilities - This year’s conference will be held on the east coast!
South Carolina Electric & Gas would like to offer a taste of southern hospitality to utility trainers from across the entire country.
In honor of this occasion, this year’s theme is No Boundaries/No Barriers – Celebrating Collaborations and Partnerships in Utility Training. With utility training department manpower and resources stretched as never before, we just can’t go it alone. As we’ve seen in previous WUTAB conferences, no one has all of the answers. However, most of us have at least one piece of the puzzle. This conference will share best practices in the area of collaborations and partnerships – with schools, vendors, associations, and each other.
Our meeting will be held at the Patriots Point Holiday Inn, Mt. Pleasant, just over the Ravenel Bridge from historic Charleston, SC. At three-and-one-half-miles-long, the Arthur Ravenel Bridge is the longest cable-stayed bridge in North America. It was a 2008 finalist for the American Society of Civil Engineers OPAL award. Patriot’s Point is also home to one of the nation’s premier Naval and Maritime Museums, containing the Aircraft Carrier USS Yorktown and the 1945 Balao Class submarine USS Clamagore. (www.patriotspoint.org) .
The area has something for every member of the family. While conference attendees enjoy informative presentations and networking, significant others and spouses can enjoy historic Charleston with its cobblestone streets and quaint southern charm. Tours of historic plantations and gardens will also be available (at an additional charge). A ferry leaves Patriots Point regularly for tours of Fort Sumter, where the Battle between the States began. The area also has wonderful beaches for those wanting to enjoy the sun and the sand, so plan to stay an extra day or so.
Additional activities surrounding our conference will be as follows: An optional golf tournament will be held on Monday, June 16. Deep-see fishing will also be available on that day for those who arrive by Sunday. There will be an additional charge for these events and information will be available on the registration page in the near-future.
The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) will also hold a meeting of the Energy Workforce Planning and Performance Interest Group immediately following our conference in the same hotel. This Interest Group is working on similar issues to those addressed in our WUTAB conference, so we wanted to make it easy for those who wish to attend both meetings. The EPRI EWPPIG meeting will be held on Thursday afternoon and Friday morning. Additional information will be forthcoming.
At this time we are accepting applications for presentations. In keeping with our theme of partnerships and collaboration, we ask that vendors co-present with utility members to show how their services have been used effectively. We encourage presentations from any and all that have something to share with this wonderful group of power plant professionals.
Additional information on agenda, lodging and events will be coming soon.
See you in South Carolina – home of Smiling Faces and Beautiful Places!!
