From Military Service to Civilian Power Careers

PGI helps veterans translate military experience into job-ready skills for the power generation industry.

Check out PGI on the Veterans Helping Veterans podcast, Veterans United!

Images of five official military service branch logos: Department of the Air Force, U.S. Army, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Marine Corps, and U.S. Navy.

Leaving the military doesn’t mean starting over.

PGI helps veterans translate their existing skills—technical, procedural, and professional—into civilian careers in the power generation industry. Our training is hands-on, field-focused, and built around the realities of the job.

Our Training Program for Veterans

Eight-Week Generator Service Technician Program

  • Accelerated, hands-on, PAID training program

  • JOB PLACEMENT ASSISTANCE and industry connections

  • Sharpen your existing technical, operational, and professional skills for real-world field operations

  • Build a strong foundation for a mission-ready career in the Power Generation Industry

You’re Not Starting from Zero

PGI builds on what you already know. Our goal is not to replace your experience, but to sharpen it for civilian field work and employer expectations.

Ready to take the next step?

View Our Eight-Week Training Course
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As active-duty service members, we had to be mission-ready when the call came. Standby power generators are no different—they have to perform the moment they’re needed.
— Jason Tarlton, USN Veteran, Director of Training at PGI

WHY VETERANS EXCEL IN POWER GENERATION

  • Proven experience working within strict procedures and safety standards

    • Safety isn’t a policy — it’s DISCIPLINE.

  • High attention to detail in inspection, documentation, and task execution

    • PRECISION - By-the-book maintenance, done right the first time

  • Preventive maintenance mindset focused on READINESS and RELIABILITY

  • Personal accountability and professionalism on job sites and in the field

    • USN/USMC Core Values - Honor, Courage, Commitment

    • US Army Values - LDRSHIP

    • USAF Core Value - Excellence in All We Do

  • Understanding that RELIABILITY matters when systems are needed

    • Mission-ready mindset

I enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 2009 and served as an Aviation Structural Mechanic (Safety Equipment), working on E-2C Hawkeyes with VAW-126 out of Norfolk, Virginia. I deployed aboard the USS Harry S. Truman in 2010, supporting Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. Like a lot of veterans, I learned how to work under pressure, follow procedures, and be accountable for equipment that absolutely had to work.

When I transitioned out of the military, my path wasn’t straight. I used my GI Bill to earn a degree in English Literature, taught high school for a few years, and later spent several years supervising warehouse operations. Along the way, I got married, had kids, and felt the growing pressure that comes with providing for a family—steady income, benefits, a reliable schedule, and the responsibility of being there for your wife and children.

I had a solid civilian job. It paid the bills, provided benefits, and gave my family stability. It wasn’t a bad situation—but I knew it wasn’t the full use of what I was capable of, either. The challenge wasn’t ambition. It was finding a way forward without putting my family at risk.

That’s why PGI exists. We built an accelerated, eight-week, paid training program that allows veterans to earn while they train and move into the field quickly. It’s not about shortcuts—it’s about respecting the reality veterans face when they transition into civilian life with families and responsibilities.

You won’t get rich overnight, and you’re not buying a new Bugatti on a training wage—but you are building a practical path into a stable, skilled career in power generation without putting your family at risk.

PGI is for veterans who want honest work, real responsibility, and a clear next step.

— Jason Tarlton, USN
Director of Training, Power Generation Institute