Duke Energy Foundation supports Goodwill Youth Services

Goodwill Industries of Northwest North Carolina has received a $33,000 grant from the Duke Energy Foundation to help implement its Northwest North Carolina Next Generation Workforce Development Initiative. The initiative will provide 1,000 youth and young adults with career readiness and occupational skills training designed to overcome barriers to their success, ensure their high school graduation and smooth their transition into post-secondary education or skills training as they become northwest North Carolina’s next generation workforce.

The support from the Duke Energy Foundation will allow Goodwill to expand its existing youth career programs in Buncombe County and other areas in its territory.

Sherry Carpenter, vice president of workforce development services with Goodwill, said, “This grant will allow Goodwill to do even more of the good work we are doing to prepare youth and young adults in northwest North Carolina for jobs in the area’s 21^st century economy.”

Goodwill’s youth programs provide career planning, real life preparation activity, job readiness, coaching, mentoring, tutoring, workplace experience and mentoring, specific occupational skills training and permanent job placement. Young people partcipating in the Next Generation initiative will accomplish the following:

·  Preparing individual career plans

·  Graduating from high school

·  Obtaining a GED

·  Becoming financially literate

·  Participating in the annual Real World event

·  Participating in Professional Development Day

·  Former gang members rejecting gang life

·  Participating in college and business visitation tours

·  Accessing college or occupational skills training with scholarships

·  Graduating from college

·  Obtaining occupational skills training credential/certificate

·  Receiving job readiness training

·  Participating in subsidized work experience/mentoring

·  Placed in un-subsidized part or full-time work

·  Retaining a job for six months

The grant was provided under the Foundation’s Economic and Workforce Development funding priority which, among other economic and workforce development strategies, supports the preparation of students for the 21st century economy through college and career readiness programs. 

“The Next Generation Workforce Development Initiative will be a great program to help prepare students and young adults for jobs today and in the future. Duke Energy is committed to economic development in North Carolina. Having a well prepared workforce is one key to attracting and keeping industry. We are excited to partner with an organization like Goodwill, which does a great job with workforce development.”

About the Duke Energy Foundation

The Duke Energy Foundation actively works to improve the quality of life in its communities, lending expertise in the form of leadership and philanthropic support to charitable organizations. Duke Energy has long been committed to building and supporting the communities in which its customers and employees live and work.