Local students will gain both practical trade skills and valuable career connections through the new Careers Electric™ Summer Electrical Academy offered by Vance-Granville Community College and Granville County Public Schools—one of just a few such academies to launch across the state this summer.
“North Carolina’s greatest strength is its people, and the state’s continued growth starts with an investment in our future workforce,” said Governor Josh Stein. “These electrical academies will prepare the next generation of electrical professionals, create opportunities for students, and support the long-term growth of our economy.”
VGCC’s Summer Electrical Academy boasts 11 students from J.F. Webb High School in Oxford and South Granville High School in Creedmoor, including three recent high school graduates and eight rising seniors. The students are taking Residential Wiring and National Electrical Code this summer as part of the College’s Basic Wiring certificate program, in addition to participating in a work-based learning experience. Local employer partners include Brummitt Electric; Danco Electrical Contractors; Enon Electric; Granville County Public Schools; Lewis Electric of Oxford, Inc.; S.T. Owen Electric, Inc.; and Shalag US, Inc.
Each academy has been developed through close collaboration between the North Carolina Business Committee for Education (NCBCE), a host community college, and local school districts, with employer partners serving as work-based learning hosts and pre-apprenticeship sponsors. Each student will enroll in one or two electrical courses for college credit, earn industry-valued credentials, participate in hands-on work experiences, and complete a registered pre-apprenticeship. Upon completing the academy, the student will be positioned to enter entry-level employment through registered electrical apprenticeships or continue their education in Electrical Systems Technology at their community college.
Each student will receive a $2,000 completion stipend, along with career coaching, financial literacy instruction, employability skills training, and all required instructional materials at no cost. The academy is designed to help students transition seamlessly from high school into rewarding careers in the skilled trades.
A State and Nation in Need of Skilled Electrical Workers
NCBCE, through the generous support of the Siemens Foundation’s groundbreaking $9.5 million total investment, has launched 12 Summer Electrical Academies at community colleges across North Carolina to skill 220 students. In February, Governor Stein and the Siemens Foundation launched the Careers Electric initiative to train 25,000 North Carolinians for electrical careers within 10 years.
Careers requiring electrical skills and licenses are among the fastest growing in North Carolina. According to state labor market data from the NC Department of Commerce, employment for electricians is projected to grow from approximately 25,800 to more than 28,500 from 2024 to 2034. Among occupations requiring electrical knowledge—from power-line installers and telecommunications technicians to electrical engineers and electronics repairers—North Carolina supports more than 70,000 electrical jobs, with growth projected in nearly every category.
The urgency is compounded by the age of today’s electrical workforce. The average age of a licensed electrician in North Carolina is in the upper 50s. Unless young people enter the trade in far greater numbers, the retirement of the current generation of skilled electricians will leave North Carolina employers, contractors, and communities without the workforce they need. The Careers Electric Summer Academies are a direct response to that reality.
“For years we’ve heard about the widening skills gap and growing worker shortages in skilled trades,” said David Etzwiler, CEO of the Siemens Foundation. “Careers Electric provides a model to solve this—validating the solution in one state, then working together to scale it nationwide. Now we are thrilled to witness these pre-apprenticeship opportunities being developed and scaled to jump-start the promising careers of our young people while supporting the nation’s infrastructure and innovation goals.”
For young people, a registered electrical apprenticeship is one of the most direct and debt-free pathways into the middle class.
“These academies represent something powerful: a chance for young people across North Carolina to step into careers that offer real wages, real skills, and real opportunities,” said Caroline Sullivan, Executive Director of NCBCE. “Through the Careers Electric initiative, we are investing in students at the exact moment when a high-quality, paid learning experience can change the direction of their lives.”
More information about Careers Electric and its founding partners may be found here.
