On the heels of a new funding announcement and successful summer career academies, the Careers Electric™ workforce initiative has hit the road in recent weeks, introducing students in Rowan-Salisbury Schools, Cabarrus County Schools, and Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools to exciting, in-demand careers in the electrical sector.

Members of the North Carolina Business Committee for Education were at Charlotte Motor Speedway last week, where students hit zMAX Dragway to explore all things STEAM – Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math – while Winston-Salem’s World of Work event at Benton Convention Center invited sophomores to step into six industry “worlds”: Aviation/Aerospace, Advanced Manufacturing, Construction, Technology, Healthcare & Life Sciences, and Business Services.

Early and persistent exposure to electrical careers is a cornerstone of Careers Electric™, a national workforce initiative launched by the Siemens Foundation. The NC Chamber Foundation serves as an incubation partner in the Careers Electric™ Coalition, convening employers, educators, school districts, and regional workforce partners to expand career-connected learning opportunities.

To support this work, the NC Chamber Foundation, North Carolina Business Committee for Education, and Siemens Foundation received funding from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation to expand statewide efforts to align K-12 career pathways with employer demand in the electrical sector. The recent events at Charlotte Motor Speedway and in Winston-Salem are examples of the student engagement opportunities made possible through this funding. Supported by the Pathways & Workforce Funder Collaborative, the grant is connecting more students with in-demand electrical careers and strengthening alignment between education and employer needs.

As North Carolina continues to attract major business investments and experience growth in advanced manufacturing, energy, infrastructure, and technology sectors, demand for skilled electrical workers is expected to increase at the same time that the existing workforce is aging out.

Using employer-led Talent Pipeline Management® principles, regional partners are establishing clear goals to identify workforce needs, align educational pathways with those needs, and create scalable opportunities for students to explore and access electrical careers.