St. Paul – Today, Xcel Energy and the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) announced the grantees that will implement the Xcel Energy Power Up program. These grantees will deliver outreach, supportive services, apprenticeship readiness training and facilitate job placement for a variety of energy-related construction occupations. Xcel Energy is investing $4 million in the Xcel Energy Power Up initiative, $3.6 million of which will go toward grants to provide energy-related construction training and apprenticeship or employment placement through June 2025.

The Power Up program goal is to educate and place 150 training program participants into union apprenticeship or energy-related construction jobs. Program graduates will have the opportunity for job placement with contractors working on Xcel Energy's Sherco Solar project in Becker, Minnesota, however multiple career pathways will be available. An overarching priority for both DEED and Xcel Energy is to increase the diversity of the energy-related and trades workforce through focused outreach to people of color, women and veterans.

"As we pursue our vision of 100% carbon-free electricity, we will depend on construction workers who have the skills and training needed to build cutting-edge clean energy resources into the grid," said Chris Clark, President, Xcel Energy – Minnesota. "This unique public-private partnership between Xcel Energy and DEED will help grow and diversify the clean energy workforce in our state so we can accelerate the clean energy transition."

"Clean energy jobs are some of the strongest employment opportunities Minnesotans can pursue, so we're excited about this program," said DEED Commissioner Steve Grove. "We're honored to partner with Xcel Energy and these training partners – it's a win for Minnesota workers and a win for clean energy and the environment."

A list of providers receiving Xcel Energy Power Up program grants is below. A total of $3.6 million will be distributed for training, support services, job placement and other elements of the Xcel Energy Power Up program. Individual grant amounts are to be determined.

• Avivo, Minneapolis
• Building Strong Communities, Saint Paul
• Career Solutions, Saint Cloud
• Central Minnesota Jobs and Training, Monticello
• EMERGE, Minneapolis
• Native Sun Community Power Development, Minneapolis
• Summit Academy OIC, Minneapolis

DEED is the state's principal economic development agency, promoting business recruitment, expansion and retention, workforce development, international trade and community development. For more information about the agency and its services, visit the DEED website or follow DEED on Twitter. You can view resources to help Minnesotans prepare for and find employment now, including thousands of open positions throughout Minnesota, at CareerForceMN.com.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ: XEL) provides the energy that powers millions of homes and businesses across eight Western and Midwestern states. Headquartered in Minneapolis, the company is an industry leader in responsibly reducing carbon emissions and producing and delivering clean energy solutions from a variety of renewable sources at competitive prices. For more information, visit xcelenergy.com or follow us on Twitter and Facebook.