The Southwest Renewal Foundation in High Point was awarded an $18.5 million grant from the Environmental Protection Agency to address climate challenges in the area.
A portion of the funds — $5 million — will go toward a new Skilled Trades Center focused on green jobs.
The new site will replace a storage warehouse on Guilford Technical Community College’s campus in south High Point. GTCC President Anthony Clarke says the idea is to bring job training to an economically disadvantaged area.
“Our goal is that we would be able to train about 75 students per year, once this is up and running," Clarke said. "They would earn, hopefully, about $40,000 for each job. So 75 students with $40,000 gets you about $3 million impact.”
The Skilled Trades Center will house four fields of study, including HVAC and construction focused on sustainable technologies.
The renovation is set to be completed in the next two years. Funds will also be used to hire a career navigator to prepare students for job placement and purchase two electric vans to help with transportation barriers.
Amy Diaz covers education for WFDD in partnership with Report For America. You can follow her on Twitter at @amydiaze.