What you’ll learn in this article…
- Twelve NC community colleges hosted 220 students in Careers Electric academies.
- Siemens Foundation contributed $9.5 million and ABB added $1 million.
- Students can earn level one licenses, college credit, and apprenticeship status.
North Carolina's electrical trade faces a worker shortage just as high school students can enter the field before graduation. In 2026, twelve community colleges enrolled 220 students in the NC Careers Electric Summer Academies, a tuition-free program that turns a summer into a first credential and a route to registered apprenticeship.
School districts partner directly with community colleges so teenagers can earn a level one license, college credit, and hands-on experience in real labs and job sites. The timing is urgent: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects roughly 81,000 new electrician jobs between 2024 and 2034. A no-cost academy is the kind of entry point states can replicate.
What Are the NC Careers Electric Summer Academies?
K-12 career education is moving past the assumption that a trade pathway is a lesser option, and North Carolina's summer academies show how quickly school systems can create an early entry point. In 2026, twelve North Carolina community colleges are hosting Careers Electric Summer Academies for high school students, according to EdNC's coverage of the Careers Electric Summer Academies.1 The initiative, directed by Jess Englert, is built as a concentrated introduction to electrical careers.
A statewide network, not a single campus program
Each academy pairs a community college with one or more local school districts. The inaugural cohort serves 220 high school students across the twelve host sites1, giving the program a regional footprint while keeping each site tied to nearby employers and district partners. This is a different structure from a standard CTE elective. A traditional career and technical education course often runs across a full semester or academic year, but the summer academy compresses industry exposure, credentialing, and career development into a single summer window.
What students actually earn
The program is aimed at high schoolers exploring trades careers who are not yet locked into a four-year college track. Participants complete one or two college-credit electrical courses, earn industry-valued credentials, and gain hands-on experience with employers that serve as work-based learning hosts and pre-apprenticeship sponsors.2 The academy is free, with materials provided, and students who complete the program can receive a $2,000 completion stipend.2 For students, that means a summer can function as a low-risk trial run for a career field, with the same kind of structured learning they would get in a longer CTE sequence. Some sites add their own structure on top of the statewide model. Forsyth Technical Community College, for example, runs a seven-week paid academy that counts as one year of a typical four-year electrical apprenticeship.3
The Partnership and Funding Model Behind the Academies
The Careers Electric Summer Academies are not a single state program funded by one budget line. They run on a three-layer arrangement: corporate and national funders supply the money, North Carolina community colleges host the training, and local school districts recruit the students.
The funding side is anchored by the Siemens Foundation and ABB. The Siemens Foundation made an initial contribution reported at $9.5 million in February 2026 to help launch new apprenticeship and workforce pathways. ABB added a $1 million investment over its first two years and serves as co-chair alongside the Siemens Foundation.1 The North Carolina Business Committee for Education organizes the academies,1 while other industry partners, including Amazon Web Services, Duke Energy, JetZero, Hitachi Energy, and Siemens, support the broader workforce goal of training roughly 25,000 people over the next decade.
Why the funding model matters
Because the money arrives as philanthropic and corporate investment rather than tuition or a single state CTE block grant, participating high school students attend at no cost1 and receive a $2,000 completion stipend.2 That structure lets colleges and districts experiment with a pre-apprenticeship pathway without charging families or waiting for annual state appropriations. The Siemens Foundation has also described the college funding as flexible and performance-based, with each of the 10 funded colleges receiving $250,000, according to Careers Electric Launches at 10 NC Community Colleges.
A replicable template for other trades
Governance is a deliberate corporate-education hybrid. Siemens Foundation and ABB co-chair the initiative, while community colleges such as Forsyth Technical Community College and Rockingham Community College serve as host sites. Leaders from both colleges recently toured the summer academies, with Tamara Williams, Forsyth Tech's Provost and Chief Academic Officer, emerging as a visible institutional champion. For M.Ed. administrators and CTE directors, the funding and partnership arrangement offers a transferable template for other high-demand fields such as HVAC, plumbing, and advanced manufacturing.
What Students Earn: Credentials, College Credit, and Pre-Apprenticeship Status
Some summer programs end with a certificate of participation that never leaves a folder. The NC Careers Electric Summer Academies are built to end with credentials employers actually ask for, and each one sets up the next.
A stackable credential sequence
The outcomes are designed to stack rather than sit side by side. A student who completes an academy can leave with industry-recognized credentials, college credit, and registered pre-apprenticeship status recognized by ApprenticeshipNC.1 That means the same hours and coursework count toward multiple future steps: a job application, a community college certificate, or a full apprenticeship program. The program is also structured to help students earn their level one license. Instead of a one-off summer badge, the academy produces a credential trail that future employers and colleges can verify. In practical terms, a student exits with a portable record of progress rather than a single paper certificate.
OSHA 30 as an employer-facing credential
OSHA 30 is a 30-hour safety training credential covering hazard recognition, electrical safety, and workplace rights, and it is included on North Carolina's CTE credential list.3 It is one concrete credential offered at participating sites such as Pitt Community College, though the full credential list can vary by location.2 Employers value it because it reduces onboarding time and signals that a teenager already understands site safety rules. Earning it in high school gives graduates a head start over adult applicants who would otherwise need to complete the same training after being hired.
What ApprenticeshipNC registration means
Students do not simply attend a pre-apprenticeship branded program. The statewide program describes completion of a registered pre-apprenticeship, and Pitt Community College states its version is officially recognized by ApprenticeshipNC.1 Registered status is a formal, federally recognized classification, not a marketing label. It documents that the student has met defined entry requirements and is positioned to continue into a registered apprenticeship with employer sponsors.
College credit that reduces future tuition
All academies include one or two community college electrical courses for college credit, with Wake Technical Community College's summer academy listing six credit hours. Those credits can apply toward a credential or associate degree at the host college, lowering future tuition and shortening time to completion. Transfer policies vary, so students should confirm how credits move to another institution, but the in-state community college pathway is the most direct use.
Application, Eligibility, and What 'No Cost' Really Means
Is there a cost to attend, and what does it actually take to get one of the seats? Short answer: tuition and instructional materials are free, and accepted students receive a $2,000 completion stipend.1 But seats are limited, and eligibility and application steps vary by community college.2
Who can apply
Eligibility is not uniform.2 Most sites target current or rising high school juniors and seniors. Cleveland Community College specifies current juniors and seniors, while Pitt Community College says "primarily rising juniors and seniors," leaving room for other high school students. Wake Technical Community College and others broadly say "high school students." No program-wide GPA or prior CTE requirement is documented, so any local criteria are not publicly disclosed.
How applications and selection work
Most local processes run through interest forms or required interest sessions, not a single statewide portal. Cleveland Community College's Summer Electrical Academy, for example, requires a student to attend an interest session with a parent or guardian. Pitt Community College's Careers Electric Academy uses an interest form. Wake Tech's 2026 application closed April 30.3 Because demand exceeds supply, over 600 students applied for slightly more than 200 slots.4 That works out to roughly 18 students per site. School counselors should nominate or refer strong candidates early, before posted deadlines.
What "no cost" covers and what varies
Tuition and necessary instructional materials are included.1 Wayne Community College provides a tool kit upon completion; other sites may not.5 Meals and transportation are not mentioned in available program materials, so families should confirm those logistics directly with the college or district. Support services include career coaching, financial literacy, and employability skills, which lower non-academic barriers.1 Forsyth Tech notes a possible tuition waiver for students who continue into an apprenticeship, but that is separate from the summer academy itself.
Related Articles
Electrician and Lineworker Wages in North Carolina
North Carolina May 2025 occupational wage estimates show a clear earnings advantage for electrical power-line installers and repairers over general electricians. The median lineworker wage is $61,560, compared with $56,600 for electricians, and the gap widens at the 90th percentile. A Charlotte IBEW Local 379 registered apprenticeship schedule lists hourly step rates from $15.22 at period 1 to $28.76 at period 6, reaching a $33.83 journeyman rate, which illustrates the wage acceleration that registered apprenticeship progression can provide.
| Wage Level | Electricians (NC) | Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers (NC) |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-Level (10th Percentile) | $38,600 | $42,530 |
| Median | $56,600 | $61,560 |
| Experienced (90th Percentile) | $76,730 | $84,560 |
Lessons for CTE Educators and M.ed. Administrators
The NC Careers Electric Summer Academies are a concrete case study in early career pathway design: high school students spend one summer inside an electrical trades pipeline, earning a recognizable credential and a direct line to a registered apprenticeship. For M.Ed. candidates specializing in career education, this is the kind of program they should be able to analyze, propose, and replicate.
Three Design Principles Worth Borrowing
- Compress the credential timeline. Students do not wait for adult programs after high school. The summer format lets them begin the electrical career pathway before senior year ends.
- Make the credential stackable and portable. The credential is not terminal. It feeds college credit and registered apprenticeship, so students keep building toward licensure and employment instead of restarting later.
- Use employer co-investment to remove cost barriers. Siemens Foundation and ABB funding helps eliminate the price tag that often filters out lower-income students, changing who can access the trades.
Where Administrators Should Look First
The infrastructure already exists. North Carolina's ApprenticeshipNC framework supports registered pre-apprenticeship, and the summer academies plug directly into that system. Future CTE administrators do not need to invent a new pipeline. They need to know how to connect school districts, community colleges, and employers to the registered apprenticeship structure already operating in their state.
Counselors Are the Gatekeepers
A program like this reaches students only if school counselors know it exists and understand who should be referred. M.Ed. programs that train future CTE administrators should treat counselor pipeline-building as a core competency, not an afterthought, because counselors shape which students hear about early credential opportunities.
A Proof of Concept, Not a Solution
At 220 seats across 12 colleges, the academies are a demonstration, not a system-wide fix. Scaling this model requires sustained employer investment over multiple years. That funding commitment is the difficult policy problem, and educators who study the model should name it honestly before treating the academies as a ready-made blueprint.
For years, the choice was often framed as college versus the trades, with cost and unclear entry points pushing many students toward the four-year default. North Carolina's Careers Electric Summer Academies remove that tension. At no cost, high schoolers earn industry-recognized credentials, college credit, and a line into registered apprenticeship while collecting a $2,000 stipend. The electrical trades gap is real, and the pathway is now concrete. Students, parents, and school counselors should contact the nearest participating community college before seats fill. For CTE administrators and M.Ed. professionals, this model is a replicable template worth adapting for other high-demand trades in their districts.
