Enhancing training for market participants leads to a reliable grid

The energy industry can be complicated, especially with New England’s clean energy transition driving rapid change in the region. A group of educators at ISO New England is helping market participants and public officials navigate this ever-evolving landscape.

The ISO’s Participant Training Services team designs and delivers learning solutions to market participants, with the goal of helping them understand the wholesale electricity marketplace. Participant engagement has increased in recent years, inspiring the team to create innovative new learning materials and experiences.

To meet the needs of participants with innovative learning solutions, a diverse and multi-faceted training team has taken shape under the leadership of Shelley Mutti, a 24-year Air National Guard veteran, and Katie Larocco, who leverages her more than 20 years of ISO New England expertise into wisdom and guidance.

“We play an important role in helping participants understand what the market requires, how to meet those needs, and why it matters,” said Mutti, now the manager of Participant Training Services. “Our goal is to ensure everyone is equipped with the knowledge and tools they need to confidently engage in the market.”

“We anticipate what key areas participants might need to know, and offer timely, comprehensive updates on new initiatives,” added Larocco, supervisor of Instructional Design in Participant Training Services.

Mutti and LaRocco have built a team focused on the future of learning. The skillset has shifted from PowerPoint assembly to instructional design, which acknowledges that adults learn in a variety of ways and within constraints to their time, capacity and baseline knowledge. They offer different solutions to fit these constraints, such as easy-to-consume articles, self-paced trainings, or in-person classes, where participants can engage with each other and learn directly from subject matter experts.

They are also proactively developing shorter segments that can be stitched together into individualized learner journeys, aimed at need-to-knows and self-help topics. 

“We’re mindful that participants need answers right in the moment, right when they’re doing the work,” said Mutti. “We’re not just creating training; we’re building solutions that fit into our participants’ busy schedules and helping them excel at their roles.”

It takes a team to accomplish this, and Mutti and Larocco have assembled a group that brings a multitude of skills to the table.

Sam Adams came to the ISO in 2020 with a strong background in logistics from her time at Amtrak and Southwest Airlines. Deb McGee joined after spending nine years in the learning and development field focused on coaching and improvement based on the Toyota Production System. Liz Ferro, the team’s newest senior instructional designer, came to the team from the UMass Memorial Health, where she created training for doctors and medical professionals.

David Cross joined the team in 2024 to enhance multimedia offerings, drawing from a wealth of experience he honed for more than a decade at LEGO.

“My goal is to act as a graphical Swiss Army Knife,” said Cross. “I am a very visual learner and often need graphics or animations to grasp a concept better. I hope to help others who are similar and need more than a paragraph to truly understand what is being taught.”

Then there’s Jennifer St. Onge, who brings an IT background to her work as a lead instructional design technologist. Recently, St. Onge showcased the team’s commitment to educating during a three-day in-person training that allowed learners to explore the markets through a series of hands-on activities.

“We had them go through price formulation challenges. They used real market data to determine what the prices could be the next day,” said St. Onge. “By the fourth activity, they’re using the prices that they’re forming, and playing in a simulated market. It’s a really fun microcosm of the market in a safe environment.”

Together, the Participant Training Services team leverages their diverse skill sets to deliver digestible, effecting trainings to support market participants. Their ability to distill complex concepts into actionable, bite-sized steps, and impact people in a positive way, is something McGee finds rewarding. “I’m in a field that enables me to help other people improve the quality of their work and their life, and that’s an unbelievable gift,” said McGee. “The fact that I get to come in everyday and apply that energy toward helping somebody else have a better day is everything.”