A Duke Energy Foundation grant looks to build the talent pipeline
GREENVILLE—According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, engineering opportunities are expected to grow 7 percent nationwide by 2026.
The Duke Energy Foundation, which donated more than $2 million to nonprofit organizations in South Carolina in 2018, is helping to develop future engineers in the state to meet those opportunities with its recent $150,000-plus grant to educational institutions.
“We are making strategic investments in South Carolina to help build a talented workforce that drives economic prosperity for all,” said Amanda Dow, manager of the Duke Energy Foundation in South Carolina. “We have a long history of targeting investments to have the greatest impact for our communities. These grants continue that tradition and will help strengthen the workforce pipeline needed to fuel the Palmetto State’s economic engine now and in the years to come.”
The award funds strategic initiatives to enhance and diversify the energy industry’s workforce of tomorrow, including:
The program at Florence-Darlington Technical College will give students the chance to network with current industry leaders, offer workshops on how to find the right mentors and help students learn what to expect in the first five years in the engineering workforce.
“FDTC is happy to have Duke Energy’s support of our pilot Women and Minorities in Engineering Technology Leadership Program,” said FDTC Interim President Edward Bethea. “We’re not only educating the future workforce, but also the leaders for that workforce. This program will make the transition into leadership roles within the engineering field much smoother for these bright, accomplished students.”