The new program will prepare students for jobs in coal, oil, natural gas, and geothermal energy industries. Tribal colleges are encouraged to apply.
A new Department of Energy (DOE) initiative is dedicating up to $2.3 million to tribally controlled colleges for development of job training programs for students seeking work in the natural gas, oil, coal, and geothermal energy industries.
According to the Energy Department’s Hydrocarbons and Geothermal Energy Office and Office of Indian Energy, the Partnerships for Academic-Industry Career Training (PACT) Initiative will support hands-on training and credentialing programs in geothermal and extractive energy industries through development of regional academic-industry consortia.
“These efforts support President Trump’s commitment to establish America’s energy dominance by developing a highly skilled workforce focused on strengthening U.S. energy resilience and supplies,” according to the DOE announcement.
Up to $2.3 million of the project’s $11.3 million budget will be set aside for tribal colleges and universities.
Projects should prepare students for work in one or more of the following areas:
- Integration, safe use, and maintenance of oil, natural gas, coal, and geothermal energy technologies
- Using carbon dioxide to improve hydrocarbon recovery
- Produced water treatment and disposal
- Power generation for data centers or remote operations
- Technologies that enable any of the above technology areas, including but not limited to construction related to the building-out of facilities or infrastructure, applying and using artificial intelligence and machine learning, geographic information systems
An informational webinar will be hosted by the Hub exclusively for TCUP-eligible institutions on Tuesday, June 9 at 1-2 pm ET.
The PACT Initiative is managed by TechWerx, a DOE Partnership Intermediary. TechWerx and DOE will host additional webinars for all eligible institutions on May 13, 2026 and two office hour sessions on June 3, 2026 and July 9, 2026 (all events 3-4 pm ET). Subsequent updates and announcements for the PACT initiative will be posted on the TechWerx website. Visit the TechWerx website for more information. Questions about the initiative can be submitted to info@techwerx.org.
