This article describes the activities of the tribal colleges and universities in building programs aimed at helping students and energy companies acquire the skills needed for employment in the natural resource industries around the Native nations. Students are learning many skills--welding, construction technology, and safety. Students are also getting commercial driver's licenses (CDLs) and becoming familiar with process-plant refinery operations. With a history of vast natural resources on tribal lands, it makes sense to develop a knowledgeable homegrown workforce. Many tribal colleges and universities are taking an even more direct approach to helping their communities--focusing on food, forestry, water and other resource-rich programs that are preparing generations to interact wisely with the natural world, as this remains the foremost tenet of nation building.