BRAC Grant to Help Columbus Technical College with Workforce Development

April 16, 2008 - Thanks to a multi-million dollar grant from the Federal government, Columbus Technical College will be able to prepare more students for the area workforce. A check for $3 million was presented to the Valley Partnership at a news conference Wednesday. That money is earmarked for training in several strategic economic areas in the state including: automotive maintenance, aerospace advanced manufacturing, information and communication technologies and industrial construction. The $3 million was part of a total $5 million grant that is tied to BRAC (Base Closure and Realignment Commission).

Columbus Technical College gets the largest piece of this pie. The college's portion is approximately $1.2 million. The money will go toward establishing a "Manufacturing Center of Excellence" on the Columbus Technical College campus where people in this region will, among other things, be trained to work as civilians at Fort Benning, work for a defense contractor, or another manufacturing business in the area. The Center will also be a one-stop-shop for Work Ready testing and training.

When asked about a time frame for the Center, Columbus Technical College Vice President of Administrative Affairs, Betty Jackson said, "We're ready to get the ball rolling in the next week or so. Now that the money is here, there's no stopping us!"

April 16, 2008: The Chattahoochee Valley is the recipient of $3 Million for workforce development needs. Pictured left to right are: Harry Lange/Valley Partnership, Debra Lyons/Governor’s Office of Workforce Development, Stella Shulman/Greater Columbus Chamber of Commerce Board Chair, Bob Jones/Columbus Technical College President and Laura Blackwell/Chattahoochee Valley Community College President.

At the presentation ceremony, the Director of Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue's Office of Workforce Development, Debra Lyons, said, "Ever since BRAC announced that the Armor School will be moving from Fort Knox, Kentucky to Fort Benning, Georgia, the state has been working hard to prepare for the growth. This grant will help prepare Georgia's workforce because the workers are our state's number one competitive advantage."

Columbus Technical College (CTC) is one of four big financial winners for the $3 million grant. Chattahoochee Valley Community College (CVCC) and the Greater Columbus Chamber of Commerce each received about $500,000 while Columbus State University (CSU) received about $35,000.

For more information on the grant and what it means to Columbus Technical College, contact either Darrel Maples/Director of Economic Development at dmaples@columbustech.edu or (706) 649-1449, or Betty Jackson/VP of Administrative Affairs at bjackson@columbustech.edu or (706) 649-1494 or 1813.

Local Media Coverage:

"$3M grant to boost growth." Ledger-Enquirer.com, April 17, 2008, archive (pdf).
"Valley Area Receives $3 Million Grant." WRBL.com, April 16, 2008, archive (pdf).

Last updated: April 17, 2008.