At the intersection of good jobs, clean energy, and equity, STEPS4GROWTH is addressing growing regional demand and propelling north carolina into a clean energy future

The Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration awarded North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University a $47,374,730 project grant under the Economic Adjustment Assistance program (CFDA 11.307) to implement Steps4Growth from September 1, 2022 to September 30, 2026.

Steps4Growth will deliver clean energy training programs and job placement services across 16 economically distressed counties in North Carolina through a network of sub-awardees including community colleges, universities, and nonprofit organizations. The project aims to establish standardized curricula and scalable work-based learning programs across four clean energy sectors to develop a sustainable workforce pipeline of 3,000 trained individuals. Key activities include developing educational pyramid models with industry input; piloting pre-apprenticeship programs; and implementing full apprenticeship programs to replicate curricula across regions. The funding will support regional training centers, curriculum development, and student support services to increase equitable access to career opportunities in the growing clean energy industry.

Led by north carolina agricultural and technical state university (N.C. A & T), the largest historically black college and university in the nation, the project will span 16 distressed counties in the state, including ten tier 1 counties encompassing "black belt" rural communities. Employers in the coalition include but are not limited to siemens energy, duke energy, blue ridge power, and strata clean energy. With a focus on equity, the coalition will utilize mobile training units in these rural areas to remove barriers to access and meet workers where they are. This coalition's efforts can be used as a replicable model for providing quality, demand-driven training for the growing clean energy sector across the U.S