Southwest Awarded $8.4 Million from the U.S. Department of Labor for Workforce Development

Southwest Tennessee Community College announced today it had been notified it would be the recipient of more than $8.4 million in Department of Labor grants to help train Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) eligible workers, veterans and others in the fields of advanced manufacturing, process control and logistics management. Southwest received a total of three grants, a single grant and two consortia grants. "Receiving these funds will allow Southwest to better respond to the great needs of Memphis, Shelby and Fayette counties for a trained workforce with industry recognized credentials, certificates and degrees that will contribute to Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam's Drive to 55 Initiative," said Karen Nippert, Vice President for Institutional Advancement.

The single Southwest grant entitled Southwest SOLUTIONS will offer approximately 550 TAA-eligible workers, veterans and others the opportunity for training in process controls. Participants will be offered employer connections through Industrial Readiness Training courses and be offered on-the-job and entrepreneurial training opportunities. The $2,661,480 grant will also offer on-line components and data tracking for continuous improvement.

Southwest is also involved in two consortia grants. With Lewis and Clark Community College (Illinois) as the lead grantee, Southwest will partner with nine other community colleges from the Mississippi headwaters to the Gulf to establish transportation, distribution, and logistics sector partnerships in communities along the river; recalibrate programs to align with employer needs; build stacked and latticed credentials and integrate evidence-based strategies to serve TAA-eligible workers and others; and solidify the consortium for long-term collaboration. As a co-grantee, Southwest will receive $2,854,601.

With Mount Wachusett Community College of Gardner, Mass., as the lead grantee, four community colleges in Louisiana, Massachusetts, Ohio and Tennessee, including Southwest, will serve more than 1,700 TAA-eligible workers, veterans and others. The Advanced Manufacturing, Mechatronics, and Quality Consortium was awarded a total of $15,875,432 to help job seekers quickly obtain training and credentials. Participants will be trained in advanced manufacturing, mechatronics and quality leading to stacked and latticed credentials. As a co-grantee, Southwest will receive $2,906,345.

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