Motlow receives nearly $1 million state grant

LYNCHBURG — It’s meant to encourage more high school kids to enroll in college after high school, specifically vocational programs that keep the pipeline of well-trained candidates for local high tech jobs. Earlier this week, the state announced that Motlow College – along with several partners – would be awarded $949,410 through the Governor’s Investment in Vocational Education (GIVE) program for a Teaching Innovative Learning Technologies (TILT) project. Motlow says the project reflects its commitment to continue building pathways between secondary and post secondary education.

“Our primary goal through the GIVE grant is to foster and strengthen long-term regional partnerships between Motlow, industry, workforce development agencies, and K-12 school systems,” said Fred Rascoe, dean of career and technical programs and project lead. “We are excited to continue developing advanced learning programs for middle school and high school students that facilitate students’ progression to a post secondary school such as Motlow.”

That project will positively impact 300 students over the 30-month grant period in reaching Drive to 55 goals through the creation and expansion of pathways between secondary and post secondary institutions. The mechatronics program in Fayetteville will be expanded by the addition of the robotics concentration. The Robotics concentration instructs in industrial robotic safety, operation, maintenance, end-effector design and application, and robot integration into a mechatronics system.

Motlow GIVE Grant team
The Motlow GIVE Grant team included (front row, left to right) Interim Dean of Students Debra Smith, Lincoln County CTE Director Susan Welch, Director of Grants Tammy O’Dell, and Career and Technical Programs Coordinator Ingrid Rascoe as well as (back row, from left to right) VP of External Affairs Terri Bryson, Emerging Technology Liaison Donald Choate, Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs Dr. Jeff Horner, Executive Director of Automation and Robotics Training Center Larry Flatt, Warren County Director of Schools Bobby Cox, Career and Technical Programs Dean Fred Rascoe, VP of Finance and Administration Hilda Tunstill, and Asst. Vice President for Academic Affairs Melody Edmonds. {Photo Provided}

It will also create a computer coding program for partner school districts beginning at the middle school level, teaching students Swift coding, and a high school program for students to obtain certification in Python coding.

Partnering with Motlow for the project are Fayetteville City Schools, Lincoln, and Warren County Schools, FRANKE, Hamilton-Ryker TalentGro, VideoBomb, Fayetteville-Lincoln County Chamber of Commerce, Fayetteville-Lincoln County Industrial Development Board, and the McMinnville-Warren County Industrial Development Board.

“Teaching coding, programming, and development demonstrates to the students the importance of logical thinking, organization, and improves problem solving skills,” said Donald Choate, Motlow emerging technology liaison and trainer. “Our cultural and economic landscape is changing as we have become a high-tech society and culture. We want to give our students the skills necessary for a successful high-tech future.”

The Motlow partnership grant was one of 28 that will receive their total of $25 million in state funding. The program prioritizes K-12, post secondary, and industry alignment across rural Tennessee to develop work-based learning and apprenticeship programs that reflect local industries’ workforce needs and enhances career and technical education statewide.

According to the college, the development of the GIVE-TILT project was prepared and written by Tammy O’Dell, grant writer and coordinator, Fred Rascoe, principal investigator, and Donald Choate, co-principal investigator.  Motlow grant team members include Terri Bryson, Melody Edmonds, Larry Flatt, Tammy Foust, Jeff Horner, Teal Lynch, Tammy O’Dell, Sally Pack, Kathy Parker, Debra Smith, and Hilda Tunstill. • 

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