TJC Awarded Grant to Lead Project from Labor Department

TYLER — Tyler Junior College is among 27 recipients who will share $500 million in grants to community colleges and universities around the country for the development and expansion of innovative training programs. Announced Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Labor, the grants are part of the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training initiative. The initiative promotes skills development and employment opportunities in various fields through partnerships between training providers and local employers. Those fields include advanced manufacturing, transportation, and health care, as well as science, technology, engineering, and math careers. The U.S. Department of Labor is implementing and administering the program in coordination with the U.S. Department of Education.

According to college officials, TJC, the only Texas institution chosen as a lead college in the program, will head a consortium of four colleges nationwide in a $12,040,449 grant project. Officials say the project will build the capacity of the colleges to train Trade Adjustment Assistance-eligible and other adult workers for new careers in grocery retail management. A TJC news release says that will be done through an industry-endorsed curriculum and credential that is highly valued in the grocery industry and will bring multiple employment opportunities. Other colleges in the TJC consortium are: Cerritos (Calif.) College, Clackamas (Ore.) Community College, and the University of Alaska in Anchorage.

The TJC grant proposal stemmed from a retail management certificate program launched this fall through a partnership between TJC, Tyler-based Brookshire Grocery Company, and the Western Association of Food Chains. TJC President Dr. Mike Metke said, “This is a great example of the benefits of working closely with local businesses…This grant is extremely difficult to win, and the fact that TJC is the only institution in Texas to be the lead college for this competition is just the icing on the cake.”