New Holly Springs Center Expands Energy Training for South Wake
On Friday, Nov. 7, 2025 the Holly Springs Training Center hosted a launch event to open a new workforce development hub focused on energy efficiency and weatherization training, with partners including the NC Department of Environmental Quality and the state Weatherization Assistance Program. The facility brings hands on training capacity to south Wake County, supporting workforce pipelines and state and national priorities for building an energy efficiency workforce while offering potential benefits for low income households and community health.
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The Holly Springs Training Center formally opened a new workforce development hub on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025 aimed at expanding hands on training in energy efficiency and weatherization in Wake County. The launch brought together the NC Department of Environmental Quality and the state Weatherization Assistance Program along with local workforce and clean energy stakeholders for facility tours, partner remarks and networking opportunities.
Organizers said the new hub is intended to strengthen pipelines into clean energy jobs across the region by providing practical training and connection points between employers and job seekers. Located in south Wake County, the center fills a geographic gap in training capacity, making trade and technical instruction more accessible to residents who have faced transportation and resource barriers to entering the energy efficiency field.
Local significance of the center extends beyond job creation. Weatherization training prepares workers to improve home insulation, heating and cooling systems, and ventilation, services that reduce energy bills and can improve indoor air quality for households that are most vulnerable. For families struggling with energy costs, improved home performance can reduce financial strain and lessen health risks associated with extreme heat and cold. Health care providers and public health officials often cite energy insecurity as a contributing factor to preventable illnesses, and a trained local workforce can expand the reach of interventions that reduce those risks.
The event highlighted how the center connects state and national priorities for developing an energy efficiency workforce with community level needs. The Weatherization Assistance Program has a long standing focus on serving low income households, and partnering with the state environmental agency positions the center to align training with broader climate and equity goals. Local advocates say more accessible training programs can diversify the labor pool in clean energy trades, opening pathways for residents from communities that have been historically underrepresented in construction and technical fields.
The launch also created networking opportunities for employers, training providers and community organizations to coordinate recruitment, apprenticeships and placement. While specifics about program capacity and schedules were not released at the event listing, officials described the hub as a focal point for hands on instruction and workforce pipeline development.
As Wake County pursues resilient and equitable climate strategies, the Holly Springs facility represents a tangible investment in both workforce development and community wellbeing. By situating training in south Wake County and linking to established state programs, the center aims to create job pathways while addressing energy burden and related public health concerns for residents across the county.
