NASHVILLE — Today, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee announced projects receiving funding through the Governor’s Investment in Vocational Education (GIVE) program which prioritizes learning opportunities in rural counties and enhances career and technical education statewide.

“We are proud to work with the General Assembly to pass the GIVE initiative and expand career and technical education for Tennessee students,” said Lee. “These funds directly support our workforce development efforts in distressed and at-risk counties and are a key component of our strategy to prioritize rural Tennessee.”

Earlier this year, the General Assembly approved $25 million in the governor’s budget to incentivize collaboration at the local level among stakeholders such as higher education institutions, K-12 and economic development partners.

The award process began in June when the Tennessee Higher Education Commission issued a competitive Request for Proposals (RFP). Each proposal was required to show local data that clearly identified both workforce needs and a sustainable plan utilizing equipment, work-based learning experiences, or recognized industry certifications to increase the state’s competitiveness and postsecondary attainment goals.

The program prioritized economically distressed and at-risk counties in the RFP process. The 28 funded projects will serve all economically distressed counties and 18 of the 24 at-risk counties.

The Appalachian Regional Commission index of economic status categorizes counties as at-risk or distressed based upon their three-year average unemployment rate, per capita market income, and poverty rates. Distressed counties rank among the 10% most economically distressed in the nation while at-risk counties rank between the bottom 10% and 25% of the nation’s counties.

Below is the list of

GIVE projects and recipients:

•Career-Aligned Learning Pathways Project:

Implementing NCCER National Industry Certification- TCAT Athens  $ 111,002

• Welding Program Expansion – Giles County-TCAT Pulaski  $ 310,146

•Innovative New Vocational Education in the State of Tennessee (INVEST)

TCAT Jacksboro – $ 750,000

•Cyber Defense Mobile

Columbia State Community College

$ 841,320

•Trane Training Lab: New HVAC Training Program with Alcoa City Schools

TCAT Knoxville – $892,745

•Jackson-Madison County Manufacturing Alliance: An Educational Pathway to Student Success- TCAT Jackson – $927,580

•Teaching Innovative Learning Technologies (TILT)

Motlow State Community College

$949,410

•Developing the Healthcare Workforce for Today

Chattanooga State Community College – Southeast Tennessee Development District

$976,254

•Digital Agronomy Program

TCAT Covington- $978,813

•Northeast Tennessee STEM to Work

TCAT Elizabethton – $1,000,000

•BRIDGE to Work

TCAT Dickson – Northern Middle TN Workforce Board – $987,699

•Regional Transportation Education Center

TCAT Crump – The Ayers Foundation

$997,688

•GIVE Blount County Careers Collaborative (BC3)

Pellissippi State Community College

$998,416

•Northeast Tennessee IT Career Accelerator Pathway

Northeast State Community College

$998,823

•GIVE Knox County Careers Collaborative (KC3)

Pellissippi State Community College

$999,874

•Fast Forward for Success (F3S)

Roane State Community College – $999,950

•Tennessee Central Cooperative Manufacturing WBL Program

TCAT Hartsville – Tennessee Central Economic Authority – $994,995

•Advanced Technologies Apprenticeship Institute

Cleveland State Community College

$   999,956

•Partnership in Agricultural Education (PAE)

TCAT Crump – $999,978

•Five Rivers Partnership for Future Ready Pathways

TCAT Morristown – $1,000,000

•Investing in Vocational Education in Three Distressed Counties

TCAT Oneida – $1,000,000

•Fabricating a New Workforce in Clay County through Welding Technology

TCAT Livingston- $1,000,000

•CNA to BSN (C2B): A Prescription for Nursing Shortages for Rural West Tennessee

Dyersburg State Community College

$1,000,000

•Machining in Warren County – Shaping Your Career

TCAT McMinnville – Upper Cumberland Development District – $1,000,000

•Southwest Tennessee Alliance for Advanced Manufacturing Programs

TCAT Whiteville – $1,000,000

•Diesel Maintenance

TCAT Livingston – $1,000,000

•GIVE Technical Skills to Rise Above Distressed to Best

TCAT Hohenwald – $1,000,000

•GO TECH: Growing Opportunities with Technology

Volunteer State Community College – Greater Nashville Technology Council

$1,000,000