Atlanta Technical College will receive $2 million in grant funding as part of the Southeastern Transportation Network, a four-state college consortium.  Through the Network, community and technical colleges will develop Centers of Excellence that prepare participants for the 21st century transportation industry.

Vice President Joe Biden, Thomas E. Perez, secretary of labor; and Arne Duncan, secretary of education; announced the grant award on September 29 in Washington, D.C.  The funding is part of the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) competitive grant program, which is co-administered by the Department of Labor and Department of Education.  The goal of the job-training grant program is to encourage partnerships between community colleges, the workforce system, and employers to quickly prepare displaced and underemployed workers for in demand careers.

The Southeastern Transportation Network was awarded a total of $10 million.  The lead institution, Lawson State Community College in Birmingham, will receive $4 million.  The partner colleges, Atlanta Technical College, Central Louisiana Technical Community College and Copiah-Lincoln Community College in Mississippi will get $2 million each over four years. 

“This grant will provide us with the resources to expand our workforce partnership programs,” said Atlanta Technical College President Alvetta Peterman Thomas. “For many years we have worked with industry leaders such as BMW to deliver high-impact automotive education programs that help people seeking jobs improve their skills.  We can now broaden the scope of our transportation programs and help even more displaced workers reach self-sufficiency.”

Atlanta Technical College (ATC) will focus on attracting, retaining and graduating veterans, unemployed adult workers, low-wage incumbent workers, adult basic education completers, and TAA-eligible workers, so that they are prepared for transportation jobs that pay a middle class wage.  ATC will upgrade and expand existing transportation programs to assist workers who need to re-tool to be competitive in the job market.   Grant funds will be used to renovate transportation labs and classrooms; to acquire advanced instructional technology; to hire additional instructors and success coaches; and to obtain state-of-the-art equipment.