Southern WV Schools Receive Federal Grants - Beckley, Bluefield & Lewisburg News, Weather, Sports

Academics, technology and program development at three schools in southern West Virginia will get help from the federal government through nearly $5 million in grants.

Bluefield State College, New River Community and Technical College and Bridgemont Community and Technical College all received grants from the U.S. Department of Education. The money will help the schools expand training programs, enlarge or strengthen programs or strengthen management capabilities.

Bluefield State has been awarded a five-year grant totaling $1.2 million for the first year. The funding will help the school enhance computer literacy, distance learning technology, support services and training opportunities. The money comes from the Department of Education through its Historically Black Colleges and Universities Program.

"This federal investment opens classrooms and ultimately jobs (for) any student who can access a computer," said Rep. Nick Rahall, D-W.Va.

The grant also will help Bluefield State in other areas, such as electronic classrooms, professional development, student leadership development, institutional research, academic outreach, tutoring and academic resources. Felica Wooten Williams, executive director of academic outreach programs at Bluefield State, said she appreciates Rahall's efforts to secure the funding.

"This grant will enhance Bluefield State College's ability to provide equality educational opportunities by strengthening academic quality, institutional management, technology upgrades and fiscal stability," Williams said.

The nursing program at New River will see a $3 million boost. That grant, available through the U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training Program, in conjunction with the Department of Education, will allow the school to substantially enlarge its nursing and allied health care programs to transition workers and returning veterans into high skill, high growth jobs.

Rahall said the southern part of the state is seeing an increase in chronic diseases, and more nurses will be needed to help address the crisis.

"The numbers and forecasts about chronic disease afflicting families and their futures demand a corps of health care providers," Rahall said. "This federal investment will allow New River to expand and initiate programs to aid the great demands on our existing medical communities. This program growth may very well be a sound prescription for our veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan who are already highly skilled and well trained with a great work ethic. New River has made a solid effort in attempting to serve their educational needs in the workforce."

The school is seeking to expand and improve on current health care programs, including offering new associates' degrees for registered nurse, medical laboratory technician, physical therapist assistant, occupational therapy assistant, and EMS/paramedic. In addition, the school hopes to partner with local employers, such as Raleigh General Hospital, Greenbrier Valley Medical Center, Summersville Regional Medical Center and the Appalachian Regional Hospital in Beckley and Summersville.

Bridgemont Community and Technical College, located in Montgomery, will receive at least $760,000 from the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training initiative. The school is part of a consortium of 13 colleges in multiple states that work together to improve and transform the manufacturing education curricula at the schools by working with industry partners. The program specifically reaches out to American workers whose jobs were outsourced to foreign countries, as well as workers who are unemployed or underemployed.

"Too many West Virginians have lost out because their jobs were outsourced to foreign countries, and those workers deserve a shot at getting new training for new fields," said Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va. "This grant is part of an effort to help workers and students get good paying jobs, support their families and boost West Virginia's economy. By increasing the capabilities of our workforce, we can align the skills of West Virginia workers and needs of employers."