Northeast State Awarded GIVE Grant for Career and Technical Education Partnership
Elizabethton – Exciting news emerged today as Northeast State Community College has been awarded a significant grant aimed at strengthening career and technical education. The college received a funding boost of $1,920,985 through the Governor’s Investment in Vocational Education (GIVE) program.
The GIVE program, initiated shortly after Governor Bill Lee took office in 2019, focuses on bridging skills gaps prevalent in Tennessee’s workforce. The goal is to nurture career pathways that seamlessly link postsecondary institutions with local K-12 school systems and local employers.
“We greatly appreciate Governor Lee’s leadership in advancing the skilled trades,” said Dr. Jeff McCord, President of Northeast State Community College. “This investment will further Northeast State’s commitment to meeting workforce needs across our region.”
This marks the third round of GIVE grants, distributing a total of $41 million to reinforce regional partnerships between community colleges, Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology (TCATs), and local industries. The new funding aims to support 23 projects statewide, anchored by partnerships at 20 different community colleges and TCATs.
Northeast State’s ambitious project, termed Building Economies through Skilled Trades (BEST), is a collaborative effort involving multiple entities such as the Northeast TN Local Workforce Development Board/First TN Development District, Kingsport City Schools/Dobyns-Bennett High School & DB Excel, Burleson Construction Co., CAM Industrial Solutions, J.A. Street & Associates, and Quesenberry’s Construction.
The key focus through the BEST initiative is relocating and enhancing the college’s Carpentry and Machine Tool programs. The project leverages the newly available instructional space on the Kingsport campus, maximizing instructional resources, expanding enrollment capacity, and fortifying the regional workforce pipeline in these high-demand fields.
With the BEST project, the ultimate aim is to boost the number of individuals entering and gaining industry-recognized credentials in Carpentry and Machine Tool. Over the four-year performance period, the project anticipates serving at least 88 students.
This fresh infusion of funds marks the third GIVE grant for Northeast State. The college previously secured a grant in 2020, which catalyzed the creation of hands-on computer networking labs and increased the number of trained and Cisco-certified computer networking technicians in the area. This past grant also facilitated dual enrollment opportunities for high school students and provided test preparation courses for certification.
Furthering its commitment, Northeast State received nearly $1 million in 2021 to establish certificates in Automotive and Aviation. Participants included traditional and adult students, including unemployed and under-employed individuals, incumbent workers, and high school students engaged in dual enrollment programs.
Through the Regional Center for Advanced Manufacturing (RCAM), the college delivers Department of Labor Registered Apprenticeship programs. This includes acting both as an apprenticeship sponsor and as a related technical instruction provider for company-sponsored programs. Carpentry and Machining, both four-year apprenticeship programs, are available apprenticeship pathways.
The college plans to use the grant to improve lab space and degree opportunities across its five-county service region.
In announcing the new round of GIVE grants, Governor Lee emphasized, “The state with the workers will win every time, and that’s why workforce development has been one of my top priorities since day one.” He also stated, “As a result, companies are choosing to invest and expand in our state, creating greater opportunities and quality of life for all Tennesseans.”
Since the inception of the GIVE program, the state has invested approximately $91.5 million to support rural workforce development through technical education. The first and second rounds of GIVE funding, executed in 2019 and 2021 respectively, served an estimated 15,500 students. This strong focus on rural workforce development has yielded tangible results, 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 endeavors that create or expand academic programs, develop work-based learning experiences, or provide industry-recognized certifications in high-demand areas. This initiative not only aims to meet current employer needs but also to stimulate economic growth by ensuring that Tennessee’s education system is aligned with workforce demands.
Chancellor Flora W. Tydings of the Tennessee Board of Regents commended the colleges for initiating partnerships and applying for and winning the grants. She acknowledged that the programs funded by the latest GIVE grants will create numerous new opportunities for Tennesseans to gain career-enhancing skills critical for competing in today’s technology-driven economy. “Our community and technical colleges are the front-line providers of academic, career, and technical education,” expressed Dr. Tydings. “We’re 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.
