Albany Technical College (ATC) and Southern Regional Technical College (SRTC) will officially sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Thursday, May 27, 2021. The signing will be held at 11:00 a.m. on the campus of Albany Technical College in the Logistics Education Center board room.  

This agreement is to establish the relationship of the two colleges concerning the implementation of a Workforce Development Program to be funded with the Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery allocation appropriated to the state by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. This program will support workforce development and training activities provided to low- and moderate-income individuals residing or working in the eligible counties impacted by Hurricane Michael in October of 2018. This program is organized in partnership with and with guidance from the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG).  

“Those high-paying jobs that this community needs to fill, we would like to see 25% more filled because of this grant. Albany Technical College plans to use our portion of the grant to give the region the tools they need to succeed and fill open jobs in the area. The goal is for the students to graduate and earn enough income to make a positive impact on the rest of the economy and most importantly their families,” says Anthony Parker, President of Albany Technical College.    

The terms of the MOU begin on May 1, 2021 and continue through June 30, 2026. This MOU will renew automatically at the end of each fiscal year for the duration of the agreement. Both colleges will agree to provide the Technical College System of Georgia with sufficient budget details to satisfy the requirements set forth by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA). Both colleges will also agree not to exceed the expected expenditures to be reimbursed through the grant.  

“Southern Regional Technical College commits to focusing this grant funding toward customized business and industry training, continuing education, and technical certificates of credit to benefit the citizens of Decatur and Seminole counties. This will support our ongoing mission of providing our students with life-changing training and education, and our graduates with meaningful career opportunities,” comments Jim Glass, Southern Regional Technical College President. 

The MOU agreement also identifies the hiring of a shared Grant Project Manager to ensure effective administration and implementation of the DCA grant. Two Case Managers will also be hired to provide support in recruitment, organization, and tracking of all grant support documentation. Four programmatic reports will be due each calendar year to TCSG detailing all services funded by the grant. 

This program intends to boost long-term recovery by supplying residents of impacted communities with the necessary skills to increase household income. 80% of the allocation should be spent in the most impacted and distressed zip codes, leaving 20% to be spent on the other 20 counties declared eligible for FEMA’s Individual and Public Assistance. Funds from the grant may be used to purchase equipment, supplies, software, and technology required for specific in-demand career and career and technical education programs as well as continuing education courses.