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CHARLOTTE, N.C., June 25, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Duke Energy today announced it has awarded $903,828 in grants to support apprenticeship job training programs at eight community colleges in North Carolina. The grants fulfill the company's 2017 commitment to fund $5 million in apprenticeship programs at community colleges across the state. Since 2004, Duke Energy has provided a total of $45 million in funding to North Carolina community colleges. "We are so grateful for Duke Energy's support of our apprenticeship programs," said Peter Hans, president of the NC Community College System. "Students in the programs receive hands-on learning while earning a paycheck and gaining specialized skills. Apprenticeships have increased rapidly at community colleges because employers recognize their value in building the workforce of the future." "North Carolina's community colleges are essential to train the workforce that businesses rely on," said Stephen De May, Duke Energy's North Carolina president. "As we partner to bring more companies to North Carolina and build a smarter energy future, community colleges are critical to upgrade workforce skills to meet new job demands." The eight colleges below have received grant awards in this round of funding: Community College Program Name Grant Award Alamance Community College Adults for Industrial Development $179,000 Davidson County Community College Davidson and Davie Apprenticeship Consortium $125,000 Durham Technical Community College Electrical Line Technician $129,857 Forsyth Technical Community College LEAP Forsyth Tech: Learn and Earn Apprenticeship $50,000 Gaston College Apprenticeship 321 $50,000 Surry Community College Surry/Yadkin Apprenticeship $45,500 Western Piedmont Community College Apprenticeship Burke $130,442 Wilkes Community College Apprenticeship Wilkes $194,029 These grants represent the sixth and final round of funding in the $5 million Duke Energy/Piedmont Natural Gas Community College Apprenticeship Grant program announced in April 2017. Through this program, 23 community colleges have received funding, connecting more than 2,800 student participants across 36 North Carolina counties with high-value job opportunities. The apprenticeship grant program was administered by North Carolina Community Foundation and Foundation For The Carolinas. Award decisions were made by a committee of representatives from Duke Energy, North Carolina Community College System and North Carolina Department of Commerce. Previous awards from the apprenticeship grant program include the community colleges listed below: Blue Ridge Community College Caldwell Community College & Technical Institute Cape Fear Community College Carteret Community College Central Carolinas Community College Cleveland Community College Craven Community College Davidson County Community College Durham Technical Community College Forsyth Technical Community College Gaston College Johnson Community College Montgomery Community College Pitt Community College Randolph Community College Rowan-Cabarrus Community College South Piedmont Community College Vance-Granville Community College Wayne Community College Western Piedmont Community College Duke EnergyDuke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 150 company headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., is one of the largest energy holding companies in the U.S. It employs 29,000 people and has an electric generating capacity of 51,000 megawatts through its regulated utilities and 2,300 megawatts through its nonregulated Duke Energy Renewables unit. Duke Energy is transforming its customers' experience, modernizing the energy grid, generating cleaner energy and expanding natural gas infrastructure to create a smarter energy future for the people and communities it serves. The Electric Utilities and Infrastructure unit's regulated utilities serve 7.8 million retail electric customers in six states: North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky. The Gas Utilities and Infrastructure unit distributes natural gas to 1.6 million customers in five states: North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky. The Duke Energy Renewables unit operates wind and solar generation facilities across the U.S., as well as energy storage and microgrid projects. Duke Energy was named to Fortune's 2020 "World's Most Admired Companies" list and Forbes' "America's Best Employers" list. More information about the company is available at duke-energy.com. The Duke Energy News Centercontains news releases, fact sheets, photos, videos and other materials. Duke Energy's illuminationfeatures stories about people, innovations, community topics and environmental issues. Follow Duke Energy on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagramand Facebook. Media contact: Meredith Archie800.559.3853 SOURCE Duke Energy Related Links www.duke-energy.com

Answer: Duke Energy creates job training opportunities through $900,000 in grants to North Carolina community colleges