CELINA-Clay County High School (CCHS) received news last week they were a recipient of $1 million in funding through Governor Bill Lee’s Governor’s Investment in Vocational Education (GIVE) program, which will be used to establish an on-campus welding program here.

OFFICIAL VISIT-Governor Bill Lee recently visited with students at CCHS prior to the announcement of the $1 million GIVE funding to be given to the school for a new on-campus welding program. (photo submitted)

The GIVE program prioritizes learning opportunities in rural counties like Clay and enhances career and technical education statewide through $25 million set aside in the state budget to incentivize collaboration at the local level among stakeholders such as higher education institutions, K-12, and economic development partners.

“We are proud to work with the General Assembly to pass the GIVE initiative and expand career and technical education for Tennessee students,” Lee said when the recipients were announced. “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.”

Clay County’s portion will be administered through a partnership between Livingston’s Tennessee College of Applied Technology (TCAT), which will help create a pathway in welding from high school to the workplace through a project titled “Fabricating a New Workforce in Clay County through Welding Technology.”

Currently, a limited number of CCHS students travel to TCAT Livingston in order to participate in the welding program there, but the daily commute will no longer be necessary due to the new funding.

“We hope we will be training more students and allowing them to utilize the program by offering it here locally on our campus,” Clay County Schools College, Career, and Technical Director Jayne Donaldson said of the program set to begin in August of 2020.  “Hopefully we can create a pipeline for the local industry we have now and also attract more to the area by creating a trained workforce through this new program.”

Donaldson explained the money will be used to renovate and transform a current CCHS building into a new welding shop featuring state-of-the-art equipment, to fund a TCAT instructor to teach the class, and to develop internships and work-based learning opportunities with area businesses.

“Welding is a fast-growing occupation and this will enable more students to participate,” Donaldson said.  “With our partnerships with local companies and the support of the local industrial board, the workforce development board, and others who have been very instrumental in helping us secure this funding, the collaborative effort has paid off.

“We are already preparing and, as soon as the funds are released, we should be able to start looking at going forward with getting an instructor in place and recruiting for next fall’s first class.”

TCAT Livingston also received another $1 million designated for their diesel maintenance program and a list of all 28 projects receiving funding, along with more information on the GIVE program, can be found online at www.tn.gov.