FLORENCE, Ky. — On Thursday, June 8th, Gateway Community & Technical College received a $40,000 grant from the Duke Energy Foundation to bolster the college’s Energy Technologies program and to help create more powerful communities in the Northern Kentucky area through the college’s Lineworker Technician Certificate Program. Northern Kentucky’s only 16-week lineworker training program.
Funds from this year’s foundation grant will immediately impact Gateway’s lineworker program. This summer, the college will install several new transformer trainers at its Boone campus, expanding the program’s class sizes and allowing for an increase in the number of students per semester. Transformer training is a class requirement for the 16-week lineworker technician certificate.
“Funding these workforce initiatives is just one way Duke Energy is helping to build a talent pipeline to power our regional economy for years to come,” said Amy Spiller, Duke Energy Ohio and Kentucky president. “The organizations receiving these grants support our community with job training, academic support and community services, helping ensure vibrant neighborhoods and local economies.”
This recent funding is a long-standing investment for the Duke Energy Foundation. The Foundation has awarded 66 grants in the past five years to support over 45 regional nonprofit organizations, including Gateway, to propel and reinforce their workforce initiatives.
With the generous support of the Duke Energy Foundation and other local organizations, Gateway will expand its lineworker training pole yard from four poles to a minimum of 18 poles this year, creating more hands-on training opportunities for students and increasing the number of classes offered each semester.
Gateway’s lineworker technician program was developed and launched in 2020 to address the local labor shortage in the field. Close to 72 students have earned their line tech certificate since the Spring of 2020 and have obtained employment. Gateway has seen a steady enrollment increase in the lineworker program since its launch, and with this year’s program expansion on the horizon, the college expects substantial growth to its already successful program.
