Career Tech Center receives $245K grant to create simulated construction site
Published 12:17 pm Thursday, December 12, 2024
- Courtesy photo. A Career Tech graduate fist-bumps Limestone County Board of Education Chairman Anthony Hilliard as she walks across the stage at Limestone County Career Technical Center’s senior recognition ceremony in 2021.
The Limestone County Career Technical Center is getting a financial boost thanks to a $245,400 grant for the creation of an industrial training site, according to a release from the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs.
“This training program will provide a safe setting for students to experience first-hand a real-world job site for in-demand trades,” Governor Kay Ivey stated in a press release. “It will prepare students from all backgrounds for future skilled careers and will improve their chances of landing a good job upon graduation.”
The Appalachian Regional Commission grant will allow the Limestone County Board of Education to build a 24-square-foot by 60-square-foot structure designed to replicate a real commercial construction site.
“We are super excited about the opportunities this training facility will provide for our students,” Limestone County Schools Superintendent Randy Shearouse told The News Courier. “The potential for students to get that hands-on experience is invaluable in their academic journey. It is so important for students to leave high school with a refined skill, and this will allow us to keep doing a great job at that as we head into the future.”
ADECA Director Kenneth Boswell echoed Shearouse’s sentiments in the release, noting just how important it will be for students at the Industrial Construction Academy at the Career Tech Center to learn about plumbing, electrical work, masonry, HVAC, drafting, welding and building construction in a controlled environment.
“Alabama, like the rest of the country, has a great need for workers in skilled trades,” Boswell said. “This job training site will not only help the state fill that need, but it will also open up a world of opportunities for students looking to build great careers.”
Shearouse also highlighted the efforts of Career Technical Center Director John Wilson in getting the ARC grant to Limestone County — as 36 other Alabama counties were eligible to receive the funds.
The ARC is an economic development agency of the federal government and 13 state governments. According to the release, the agency’s mission is to innovate, partner and invest in communities to build and strengthen the economic growth in Appalachia. The agency’s ultimate goal is to help the region achieve socio-economic parity with the rest of the United States.