Duke Energy and Piedmont Natural Gas Invest $5 million in community college students

Duke Energy and Piedmont Natural Gas 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.