FAYETTEVILLE STATE UNIVERSITY AWARDED U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY GRANT TO LAUNCH BUILDING TRAINING AND ASSESSMENT CENTERS

Fayetteville, N.C. - Fayetteville State University (FSU) will receive a $900,000 grant to establish a new Build Training and Assessment Center (BTAC) as a part of the Biden Administration’s Investing in America agenda the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced Nov. 16.

The Fayetteville-Cumberland Regional BTAC will strengthen regional capacity to improve energy utilization efficiencies and provide training for high-quality, in-demand new energy management jobs. This effort is a collaboration between FSU and two key local partners, Fayetteville Technical Community College (FTCC) and Fayetteville Public Works Commission (PWC).

“It is our strong desire that the Fayetteville-Cumberland Regional Building Training and Assessment Center will be a catalyst for growth in energy management business opportunities and jobs,” said Darrell T. Allison, FSU Chancellor. “Thanks to the leadership of Mayor Mitch Colvin who initially brought many of us to the table, we now look forward to collaborating with the U.S. Department of Energy and our community partners to create expanded energy management capabilities and better position our students, citizens and the region to obtain jobs.”

Through this new BTAC, FSU and its collaborating partners will:

• Increase the number of individuals in the greater Fayetteville region with training in optimizing energy efficiency and environmental performance in commercial and institutional buildings,
• Provide energy assessment services for businesses and institutions,
• Promote promising new technologies to further improve building energy efficiencies,
• Help create new businesses able to improve energy utilization efficiencies.

As an HBCU, and the state’s second oldest public university Fayetteville State University has a legacy of successfully serving historically underrepresented populations. This new workforce development endeavor continues that legacy as it contributes to the DOE’s objectives of enhancing new energy economy growth in historically underserved areas.

FSU joins nine other universities as the inaugural cohort of BTAC sites. Along with the 17 new Industrial Assessment Centers, the Fayetteville-Cumberland Regional BTAC is a part of a $40 million expansion to provide more clean energy workforce training and enhance building and manufacturing efficiency in America.