Progress Energy donated funds for vocational and technical scholarships at Cape Fear Community College last week.

Bob McCall, Progress Energy’s eastern region vice president addressed a group of students, faculty and staff at Cape Fear Community College’s North Campus and awarded $15,000 to the school. Progress Energy has supported vocational and technical education at CFCC for the past seven years. 

This latest grant from the Progress Energy Foundation will provide scholarships to students in the Electronics Engineering Technology, Electrical/Electronics Technology, Industrial Systems Technology and Computer Engineering Technology programs. The scholarships will be awarded to 30 students in financial need and will cover expenses such as tuition and books.

“Scholarships are needed more now than ever. Progress Energy’s ongoing partnership with Cape Fear Community College is a model for other companies to follow in assuring that adequate numbers of highly skilled technicians are available to grow this region’s economy,” said Eric McKeithan, CFCC president.

Progress Energy is a Fortune 500 energy company headquartered in Raleigh, N.C. It has about $10 billion in annual revenues.

“CFCC has a tremendous history of being a great educator to the community,” McCall said. “We are very appreciative of the community college system and the quality graduates it produces. Hopefully these dollars will go a long way to continue to help students who need training in these fields,” he said in a press release.