Duke Energy Foundation grants FDTC $10,000

Duke Energy Foundation presented Florence-Darlington Technical College with a $10,000 grant for recruiting women and minorities into energy sector trades during a check presentation on Thursday, December 14.

“Preparing our next generation of utility workers is one of the top priorities of our company,” Duke Energy Government and Community Relations Director Mindy Taylor said. “As we work toward a smarter energy future, we are proud to partner with organizations like Florence-Darlington Technical College to help ensure our workforce is diverse and inclusive.”

Duke Energy awarded the College this grant as part of its initiative to recruit more women and minorities into its ranks. The company continues to focus on attracting talented employees from all population groups to improve its ability to deliver better service and the right product options to its customers.

“Duke Energy is such a generous company and we are honored to receive this funding,” FDTC Educational Foundation Executive Director Sheryl Love said. “This grant will help us reach a very important target audience as we increase our STEM programming.”

The College plans to use the funding to implement two initiatives around recruiting women and minorities into energy sector trades. The first is to provide extensive student support services for minorities to help them overcome academic and social challenges that may prevent them from being successful in their programs. The second is one of institutional change. FDTC continues to make changes to remove structural barriers that students who are very low-income and/or minorities struggle to overcome.

“Florence-Darlington Technical College provides equitable access to all students,” FDTC President Dr. Jermaine Ford said. “We want to thank Duke Energy for granting us this money so that we can continue to offer and create opportunities for all students regardless of their race, age, sex, or circumstances.”

Additionally, the college plans to pair this funding with another grant to provide a series of interactive workshops to develop leadership in women and minorities in technology programs. Programs that this grant funding will target include automotive technology, computer technology, engineering technology, Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning Technology (HVAC), machine tool technology, mechatronics, welding, and pipe welding.

FDTC encourages anyone interested in one of these programs to reach out to its Admissions office at - Phone: 843-661-8289 Text: 843-351-1940 or by email: admissions@fdtc.edu.