Governor Lee presents grant to TCAT for STEM to Work program
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee stopped by the Tri-Cities Friday to present a one million dollar grant for a new STEM to Work program at the Tennessee College of Applied Technology in Elizabethton.
It’s all part of the Governor’s Investment in Vocational Education, or GIVE program, which works to prioritize learning opportunities and enhance career and technical education not only in rural counties, but statewide. A total of $25 million was approved in 2019 by the General Assembly that went to 28 projects statewide, including in Elizabethton. Governor Lee has been adamant about improving rural areas and economic distressed counties since taking office last year, and emphasizes that through education, which he hopes that remains a focus throughout the 2020s.
“Educating kids in rural communities so they can stay in those communities, so that companies will know there’s a workforce there, and be willing to move to those communities, or so that folks in those communities will start up a business knowing there’s enough workforce there. That all begins with how we educate our kids.”
District 3 Republican State Senator Rusty Crowe was one of many local and state leaders present during the governor’s visit, and echoed Lee’s sentiments on the value of vocational and technical education, especially in Washington, Unicoi, and Carter counties where Crowe serves.
“We’ve got to get our young students ready for the trades, and right now we have more potential jobs than we have employees to take them. Washington County Mayor Joe Grandy has told me some huge corporations come in that want to settle and definitely want to be here, but can’t find the skilled workers for those jobs. It’s a great thing to see Governor Lee focusing on vocational, technical, and STEM education so that we can match the needed skill with the marketplace and fill these jobs,” said Crowe.
Lee says its important to strengthen the vocational and technical education statewide to try and push Tennessee as a leader for the rest of the nation.
Courtesy of Image: T.Adams/Supertalk 92.9
