Toyota is donating $1 million for local science and technology education programs as the company makes plans for its electric vehicle battery plant in Randolph County.
Half of the grant will assist with a Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics, or STEAM Lab in the College of Education at North Carolina A&T State University. The other half will assist a support program for K through 12 students in Randolph County.
Sean Suggs, president of the Toyota plant at the Greensboro-Randolph megasite, says it’s critical that its 2,000-plus workforce knows how to build things.
“We need members that are going to come on the team that have the skill — not necessarily and engineering degree per se — but also the ability to think about things and problem solve.”
The donation announcement was made during a ceremony in Liberty Saturday.
Production at the facility is scheduled to begin in 2025.