White County Schools applying for a $50,000 SPARC grant to modernize career and technical education programs and expand dual enrollment partnerships for students.
CTE Director Lane Ward said the funding from the Tennessee Higher Education Commission is designed to address unmet needs identified by rural counties. Ward said the grant provides significant flexibility to purchase equipment, supplies, and consumables while also covering the costs of industry certifications for students.
“I think the end result that we’re looking for in White County and I’m sure other counties are looking for too is just to expand our CTE programming,” Ward said, “To bring what we’re able to offer our students up to current industry standards.”
Ward said the district is currently evaluating specific equipment needs by having instructors identify gaps in their respective programs. Ward said the school system has secured nearly $2 million in CTE grants over the last four years and intends to be strategic with the new funding.
“We’re also looking at building on our TCAT Upper Cumberland partnership and nursing and health science, modernizing our labs there, bringing those up to current industry standards because they seem to change a lot, especially in nursing and health sciences,” Ward said. “And then automotive maintenance and light repair, that’s a very popular program that we have here.”
Ward said the district is also focusing on a mechatronics program that will soon feature two injection molding machines to reflect local industry drivers. Ward said the middle school is also a priority, with plans to support a career exploration lab, agriculture program, and STEM initiatives.
“After they participate in our programs, we want their vision to open up to think I can pursue something through TCAT Upper Cumberland or Motlow State or you know, to really get them thinking about their next move in their educational career and to really think about the possibility, the good possibility of learning a trade, learning a skill and putting that into practice for you know, for a career,” Ward said.
Ward said the district uses regional labor and workforce data to ensure programs align with high-wage and high-demand fields in the Upper Cumberland. Ward said this data-driven approach previously led to the creation of the computer information technology program and the phasing out of older programs.
“I think the state realizes that there are some gaps in our workforce and especially over the last four or five years, there’s been a lot of money allocated through grants to enrich and build and expand CTE programming and this is just one more of those examples of how the state’s really pursuing it,” Ward said.
Ward said the grant application is due in early September, with funds expected to be available by October or November.
