蜜桔直播 Receives Funding for Two GIVE Grant Proposals
September 3, 2024
蜜桔直播 Receives $3,999,676 in GIVE Funding
Gov. Bill Lee and the Tennessee Higher Education Commission have announced that Walters State Community College has received $3,999,676 in grant funds through the Governor鈥檚 Investment in Vocational Education (GIVE) program. 蜜桔直播 received funding for two separate grant proposals.
The GIVE program, established soon after Gov. Lee took office in 2019, is designed to address skills gaps in Tennessee's workforce by supporting the development of career pathways that connect postsecondary institutions with local K-12 school systems and local employers.
鈥淲e are excited to learn that these two much-needed programs at 蜜桔直播 have received funding through the GIVE program,鈥� said Dr. Tony Miksa, president of Walters State. 鈥淭he funds will allow us to develop a medical laboratory technician degree and establish pathways for high school students to enter the workforce with in-demand skills.鈥�
One of the grants 蜜桔直播 received will fund a new Medical Laboratory Technician
program at 蜜桔直播 in partnership with the Claiborne County and Hamblen County
school systems; Ballad Health and Covenant Health - Morristown-Hamblen Healthcare
System; and East Tennessee Human Resource Agency and the First Tennessee Development
District.
Medical laboratory technicians are an essential and growing part of a patient鈥檚 healthcare team and work closely with doctors in the diagnosis and treatment of illnesses and injuries. Technicians work in all areas of the laboratory including hematology and immunology. Students completing the classes will receive an associate of applied science degree with opportunity to add other credentialing certificates.
The second grant provides learning pathways for robotics, welding, flooring and National
Center for Construction and Education Research Core, and electrical and plumbing.
Partnering with 蜜桔直播 on this grant are the school systems in Claiborne, Cocke,
Hamblen, Jefferson counties; Meco Corporation; Clayton Giles; Sonoco; the East Tennessee
Development District, the East Tennessee Human Resource Agency and the First Tennessee
Development District.
This program would begin with middle school students exploring various careers using virtual reality googles and career exploration software, combined with studies in STEM areas such as robotics through summer camps. High school students will have the opportunities to earn certifications required to enter such careers. Two workforce training classrooms on the college鈥檚 Morristown campus will be dedicated to teaching these programs. The equipment purchased will also be available for area CTE professionals.
This is the third round of GIVE grants to be awarded and will allocate a total of $41 million to foster regional partnerships between community colleges, Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology (TCATs), and local industries. The new funding will support 23 projects statewide, through partnerships based at 20 different community colleges and TCATs.
Since creating GIVE, the state has invested $91.5 million into the program to support rural workforce development through technical education. The first and second rounds of GIVE funding in 2019 and 2021 served an estimated 15,500 students. Tennessee has made notable progress in rural workforce development which has resulted in securing over 41,500 new jobs and nearly $19 billion in capital investment in rural counties since 2019.
Grants of up to $2 million each are awarded through the GIVE program to collaborative efforts that create or expand academic programs, develop work-based learning experiences, or provide industry-recognized certifications in areas of high demand. This initiative not only aims to meet the current needs of employers but also to stimulate economic growth by ensuring that Tennessee鈥檚 education system is aligned with workforce requirements.
Tennessee Board of Regents Chancellor Flora W. Tydings commended the colleges for initiating the partnerships and applying for and winning the grants to benefit career and technical education in their communities. 鈥淭he programs and projects funded by this latest round of GIVE Grants will create many new opportunities for Tennesseans to learn career-building skills to compete and advance in today鈥檚 technology-based economy, benefitting their families across generations and building strong communities.
鈥淥ur community and technical colleges are the front-line providers of academic, career, and technical education. We鈥檙e grateful to Governor Lee and the General Assembly for recognizing the need to bridge the skills gap and establishing the GIVE program to help close it,鈥� Dr. Tydings said.