Gov. Lee Awards GIVE Grants to Fuel Rural Workforce Development

Highlights National Workforce Development Week
Thursday, November 18, 2021 | 08:35am

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Today, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee announced projects receiving funding through the second round of the Governor’s Investment in Vocational Education (GIVE) program which prioritizes learning opportunities in rural counties and enhances career and technical education statewide. Tennessee has made notable progress in rural workforce development in recent years which has resulted in securing over 24,000 new jobs and nearly $13 billion in capital investment in rural counties since 2019.

Since creating GIVE, Gov. Lee’s first legislative priority, he has invested $50 million in the program to support rural workforce development through technical education. The first round of GIVE funding in 2019 served an estimated 8,000 students, and this second round will serve an estimated 7,500 students.  

“We are especially proud to announce these well-deserved grants during National Workforce Development Week,” said Gov. Lee. “Rural workforce development has been one of my top priorities since day one, and I’m glad to see the remarkable progress we’re making. By developing a highly skilled workforce, Tennesseans’ lives are transformed, and companies are choosing to invest and expand in our state at record rates.” 

Gov. Lee will highlight rural workforce development tomorrow, November 19, at the East Tennessee Rural Summit in Newport, TN. The Governor’s Rural Summit focuses on at-risk and distressed counties by engaging city and county mayors, education and economic leaders, and cabinet members.

The second round of GIVE grants will fund 13 projects in East Tennessee and 27 projects statewide. The 27 funded projects will serve all economically distressed counties and 25 of the 30 at-risk counties.

Notable projects in East Tennessee that have been awarded GIVE grants in both rounds of funding include the Cleveland State Community College (CLSCC) Mechatronics Technology apprenticeship-like program and the Tennessee College of Applied Technology Morristown's Five Rivers Partnership for Future Ready Pathways (FRP²) which is implementing a regional approach to workforce development that provides expanded opportunities to all students, regardless of their economic background or physical location.

Find more information on the GIVE initiative here and a complete list of GIVE projects and recipients below.

Chattanooga State Community College

Advancing Cybersecurity, Automotive, and Welding Instruction in Southeast Tennessee

 $1,000,000.00

Cleveland State Community College

Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing (MEP) with Major Concentration in HVAC and Refrigeration

 $941,091.70

Cleveland State Community College

Meeting the Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing (MEP) Demand in Southeast TN - A Rural Partnership between Business and Education

 $877,800.00

Columbia State Community College

Emergency Medical Technician Training Program in Hickman County Schools

 $999,400.00

Columbia State Community College

Engineering Systems Technology Mobile Classroom and Robotics Expansion

$1,000,000.00

Nashville State Community College

West-Nashville Healthcare Talent Pipeline

 $710,023.06

Northeast State Community College

Automotive & Aviation Certificates for Employability (AACE)

 $999,419.00

Pellissippi State Community College

Advanced Manufacturing College to Career Collaborative (AMC3)

 $786,284.00

Pellissippi State Community College

Information Technology College to Career Collaborative (ITC3)

 $994,164.00

TCAT Crump

Decatur County Technical Center

 $719,295.00

TCAT Crump

Partnership in Advancing Construction Technology

 $991,919.00

TCAT Dickson

Aligning Students with Advanced Professions (ASAP)

 $1,000,000.00

TCAT Elizabethton

Northeast Tennessee STEM to Work

 $1,000,000.00

TCAT Hartsville

Tennessee Central Cooperative Manufacturing WBL Program

 $975,000.00

TCAT Hohenwald

Partnering to GIVE Careers in a Year

 $1,000,000.00

TCAT Jackson

SW TN - Partnership for Allied Health Alliance (PACE)

 $1,000,000.00

TCAT Knoxville

TCAT Knoxville's Industrial Development Lab for Anderson County

 $998,737.47

TCAT Knoxville

Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Knoxville's Union County Distress Relief Plan

 $999,857.66

TCAT Livingston

Robotics and Automation in the Upper Cumberland

 $1,000,000.00

TCAT McMinnville

Building Sustainable Early Post-Secondary Opportunities: A Regional Approach

 $739,840.25

TCAT Morristown

Five Rivers Partnership for Future Ready Pathways 2.0

 $1,000,000.00

TCAT Nashville

Advanced Manufacturing/Robotics/IT Programs for Springfield/Robertson County

 $979,898.20

TCAT Newbern

Building Construction and Maintenance Vocational Consortium Project

 $1,000,000.00

TCAT Oneida/Huntsville

Expanding Vocational Education Opportunities in Scott, Morgan and Fentress Counties

 $1,000,000.00

TCAT Shelbyville

Community Health Care Alliance

 $260,641.00

Walters State Community College

SHAPE: Student Hospitality Internship Experience

 $985,266.00

Walters State Community College

TIME: Training Industrial Manufacturing Excellence

 $981,217.00