HGTC Foundation Receives Duke Energy Foundation Grant
(left to right) Davy Gregg, Duke Energy Supervisor of Customer Delivery Operations;
Dr. Marilyn Murphy Fore, HGTC President
Shannon Detzler, HGTC Foundation President & CEO; Mindy Taylor, Duke Energy Manager
of Government and Community Relations; Johnathan Evans, Duke Energy Vice President
of Customer Delivery Operations.
Horry-Georgetown Technical College (HGTC) is pleased to announce that the HGTC Foundation recently received a $10,000 Duke Energy Foundation grant. The grant will provide assistance to students in covering the costs of protective equipment in the HGTC Electrical Lineman Technician program on the Conway Campus.
“We are so appreciative of the many ways Duke Energy has been instrumental in the enhancement of the HGTC Lineman Technician program from the expansion of the training yard to the financial assistance for students. Many of our students struggle with the ability to pay for additional costs, especially the special safety equipment required for enrollment. Our college and community are reaping the benefits from the support of the Duke Energy Foundation as we respond to the interest and needs expressed by local industry,” said Dr. Marilyn Murphy Fore, HGTC president.
“The HGTC Foundation is extremely grateful for partners like Duke Energy. This donation exemplifies their commitment to investing in the communities they serve. The funds will go directly to enhancing our lineman program, providing more skilled and qualified workers in our area workforce,” said Shannon Detzler, HGTC Foundation president & CEO.
Duke Energy has been a generous supporter of HGTC through the years. HGTC received a $124,225.77 grant from Duke Energy in 2021 to purchase new equipment and safety gear for the program. HGTC also received a $195,116 grant in 2019 to expand the Electrical Lineman Training yard allowing the college to double the enrollment of the program for the 2021 fall semester and making it the largest Electrical Lineman Yard in the state of South Carolina.
“As Duke Energy and other utilities build the smart-thinking grid of the future, thousands of jobs will be created and filled,” said Mindy Taylor, government and community relations manager for Duke Energy. “The backbone of that workforce is the well-trained utility lineworker, and programs like those offered by HGTC are critical to providing a highly-skilled pipeline of talent that will help keep South Carolina competitive now and, in the years, ahead.”
The Electrical Lineman Technician program began in January 2015 following the initial construction of the lineman yard in November 2014. The program prepares students both mentally and physically to have the knowledge, skills, techniques, and professionalism to enter the utility industry and remarkably has a 98% job placement rate. The program is a one semester certificate degree and enrolls six cohorts of 16 students per year.
The purpose of the HGTC Foundation is to raise funds to support the programs, services, and activities of Horry-Georgetown Technical College, its students and employees, and to create and strengthen positive relations between the College and the community.