State Rep. Dennis Powers (right) was also on the welcoming committee for the governor at the Tennessee College of Applied Technology. 

Gov. Bill Lee spoke to a crowded room of TCAT students, community business leaders and others on Thursday morning about his GIVE initiative. 

By Charlotte Underwood

JACKSBORO, TN (WLAF) – Gov. Bill Lee visited the Tennessee College of Applied Technology in Jacksboro on Thursday morning to announce the award of a $750,000 GIVE Community grant to the county. The grant is part of the Governor’s Investment in Vocational Education, known as the Governor’s GIVE Grant. The money is part of an earlier announced $25 million dollar grant program statewide that helps fund learning opportunities in rural counties and enhances career and technical education.  TCAT is receiving the grant for its program Innovative New Vocational Education in the State of Tennessee (INVEST).  The grant will allow TCAT to expand its education base and offer more programs to students. One program expanding is in the HVAC industry.

According to the governor, the grant process is a competitive one and Campbell County should be “proud of its accomplishments and hard work in receiving the grant.”  A total of 25 grants were awarded and according to Lee, only the top programs in the state were chosen. He gave credit to State Rep. Dennis Powers, along with business and education leaders in the community for coming together in the grant process.

“As a state we haven’t put enough emphasis on this line of education in 30 years and we are changing that and these programs are showing our state how it needs to be done,” Lee said. He said rural communities and young people pursuing vocational education were the “life blood of the state.”

“The purpose of this grant is to expand more opportunities for young people and adult learners to engage in career paths that are going to help this community.” The governor spoke to the students gathered for the presentation, telling them he hoped they stayed in the area.

“My hope is that you stay right here; that the skills you gain will allow you to will allow you to have your own machine shop or go to work for a small business or a larger company in this county, this is what helps communities grow,” Lee said.

The governor also said he wanted to congratulate everyone that came together in the county to make the grant happen through work in the INVEST program.

“Government is not the answer to the greatest challenges we have in our communities, people are the answer. Rural communities have a lot of assets that big cities don’t and I am excited for what this grant means for this part of the state. Your program is serving as a model for others,” Lee said.

Two grant programs fund the initiative: GIVE Community Grants and GIVE Student Grants. Using the framework of the state’s Labor Education Alignment Program (LEAP), the governor recommends new funding in support of work-based learning through GIVE Community Grants. These competitive grants will go to regional partnerships between TCATs, industry, and K-12 to build new programs in work-based learning and apprenticeships, market-driven dual credit opportunities, and the expansion of industry informed CTE offerings at local high schools.

GIVE Student Grants will be funded via the Tennessee Lottery and support expanded access to dual enrollment.  (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED – 01/10/2020-6AM)