Duke Energy and Piedmont Natural Gas commit $5 million for workforce development at N.C. Community Colleges

RALEIGH, N.C., April 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Duke Energy and Piedmont Natural Gas today announced an additional $5 million investment to connect community college students with career development opportunities, bringing the company's total investment to $35 million over the last 13 years. These funds support the company's philanthropic focus on economic and workforce development.

The grants will be open to community colleges throughout the state for apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs, giving students hands-on experience and businesses access to a pipeline of skilled workers. In June 2016, Duke Energy announced that it hit its $30 million investment milestone with 49 N.C. community colleges receiving grants to equip students with industry-specific training, and to develop programs such as robotics, welding, mechatronics, and other high-skilled areas with growing demand in North Carolina.

"The NC Community College System is appreciative of the investment Duke Energy and Piedmont Natural Gas are making in our students," said system President James Williamson, Ph.D. "The apprenticeship experience can be incredibly valuable to our students and we look forward to working with industry and business partners to put our students to work."

"Duke Energy is committed to building a smarter energy future to benefit all North Carolinians, which requires making smart investments in our workforce," said David Fountain, Duke Energy's North Carolina president. "As we continue to add jobs in North Carolina, our state's community colleges are key to developing the skilled workers that our company – and others across the state – rely on."

"Apprenticeships in North Carolina are training people for high-quality jobs, helping businesses find qualified workers, and setting the stage for long-term economic prosperity," said N.C. Department of Commerce Secretary Anthony Copeland. "This grant reinforces the Department of Commerce's commitment to helping businesses develop a pipeline of talent through strong partnerships with NCWorks Apprenticeship and their local community colleges."

The application process will open on June 1 with a letter of intent, and specific directions will be available then at the Foundation For The Carolinas website (Duke Energy Carolinas customers and Piedmont Natural Gas customers in western NC) and North Carolina Community Foundation website (Duke Energy Progress customers and Piedmont Natural Gas customers in eastern NC). Applications will be reviewed by a committee of representatives from Duke Energy, NC Community College System and NC Department of Commerce.

NC Community College System

With 58 colleges located across our state and nearly 840,000 students, the North Carolina Community College System is one of the largest institutions of higher education in the United States and is internationally recognized for its programs supporting economic and workforce development. Learn more at www.nccommunitycolleges.edu. Follow NC Community Colleges on Twitter and Facebook.

Duke Energy Foundation

The Duke Energy Foundation provides philanthropic support to address the needs of the communities where its customers live and work. The foundation provides more than $30 million annually in charitable gifts. The foundation's education focus spans kindergarten to career, particularly science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), early childhood literacy and workforce development. It also supports the environment and community impact initiatives, including arts and culture.

Duke Energy employees and retirees actively contribute to their communities as volunteers and leaders at a wide variety of nonprofit organizations. Duke Energy is committed to building on its legacy of community service. For more information, visit http://www.duke-energy.com/foundation.

Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Duke Energy is an S&P 100 Stock Index company traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol DUK. More information about the company is available at http://duke-energy.com. 

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Contact: Meredith Archie, Duke Energy 
Office: 919.546.2109 | 24-Hour: 800.559.3853 
Email: [email protected] 
Twitter: @DE_MeredithA

SOURCE Duke Energy

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