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AdvantageWest has been selected to receive $479,259 in federal recovery act funds to create clean energy jobs and internships in Western North Carolina. Two other entities in AdvantageWest’s 23-county service area, the N.C. Arboretum and Appalachian State University, will also receive funds from the N.C. Energy Office program, in the amounts of $89,600 and $485,857, respectively, creating a total of 58 jobs in the region. The grant program was developed with money from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. AdvantageWest will place nine interns in 12-month, full-time positions with qualified regional green energy-related businesses. An additional three 12-month fellowship positions will focus on building capacity among local governments in the areas of energy planning and management. Internships will be available to North Carolina residents who are current or recently graduated students of two- and four-year programs, as well as graduate programs, with the goal of placing individuals where they have a strong opportunity to transition into permanent employment. AdvantageWest applied for the grant through its AdvantageGreen initiative, a program that aims to support the regional economy by creating collaboration among green partners, programs and resources across Western North Carolina. The green energy internship program also builds on the existing Clean Energy Economy in WNC project, a collaboration with Land-of-Sky Regional Council and the other councils of government that serve the region. More program details, including how to apply for the internships, will be announced in the coming weeks. AdvantageWest, the N.C. Arboretum and Appalachian State are among 23 private businesses, public agencies, and public and private universities that will receive $5.6 million to create a total of 400 jobs and internships. The program will give students hands-on experience and training in North Carolina’s energy economy, which includes solar, biofuels and other renewable energies as well as energy efficiency and green building technologies. According to Matt Raker, who manages the AdvantageGreen initiative, one goal of AdvantageWest’s internship and fellowship program is to grow the clean energy economy by building the capacity of the green workforce. “Simultaneously, we’ll be able to target energy opportunities within the region’s public sector institutions to significantly stimulate demand for clean energy-related services,” said Raker, who also administers grants for AdvantageWest. “Successfully realizing the clean energy economy and its benefits requires innovation, and this program has innovation built into it. It is grounded in the public-private collaboration of a number of key stakeholders,” said Scott Hamilton, president and CEO of AdvantageWest. “Other outcomes of this project include enhanced public and private sector energy management capacity, energy savings, reduced greenhouse gas emissions, a sustained increase in clean energy employment, and an increased level of private investment in clean energy businesses.” The arboretum will use four interns to conduct a campus energy assessment, evaluate the results and provide recommendations for energy savings and improvements. The team will also design and prepare a model “sustainability report card” based on their findings and existing sustainable practices. ASU will create 32 internships and 10 fellowships that will provide experience in energy-related businesses or organizations. AdvantageWest is the regional economic development partnership serving the 23 westernmost counties of North Carolina. Chartered by the state General Assembly in 1994, AdvantageWest is a nonprofit, public-private partnership. In addition to the green-collar jobs initiative AdvantageGreen, AdvantageWest’s program of work focuses on advanced manufacturing; entrepreneurial development activities such as Blue Ridge Entrepreneurial Council (BREC) and the Certified Entrepreneurial CommunitySM; and Blue Ridge Food Ventures, a food business and natural products incubator and commercial kitchen. AdvantageWest also maintains the WNC Film Commission. For more about the AdvantageGreen program, visit www.advantagegreennetwork.org. To learn more about AdvantageWest, visit www.advantagewest.com or call (828) 687-7234. (Images provided by AdvantageWest.)
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