E. Kentucky college gets grant to help ‘break the cycle of poverty through education’
A $3.8 million grant awarded to Hazard Community and Technical College brings an opportunity to break the cycle of poverty through education, Perry County leaders said Thursday morning.
The Economic Development Administration grant will fund renovation of the Industrial Education building, which was built in the 1960s, and transform it into the Center of Excellence in Construction and Advanced Manufacturing. It will house construction, electricity, welding, heat and air conditioning, machine tool, manufacturing engineering technology and cosmetology.
Up the hill, the transportation building will also be renovated for an Automotive Program, along with Heavy Equipment and Diesel Technology programs.
Joel Frushone, the EDA communications director, said the center will allow the community to diversity its economy, which has relied heavily on coal, and provide training to secure well-paying jobs.
State Sen. Brandon Smith, R-Perry, predicted the grant will transform the future for many residents of Perry County.
“That money is going to be well-spent and change the course of a lot of children that come up this hill, will come into this building and come out with a new vocation that will provide for them and their families for generations to come,” Smith said. “For us, embedded poverty is something that we find all across Appalachia. There is no better tool in our toolbox to break the aspect of embedded poverty than education.”
Andrea Bagley, a representative for U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers, said the Center of Excellence in Construction and Advanced Manufacturing will be crucial as the region trains and retrains employees.
HCTC President Jennifer Lindon said the new center focuses on three of the five key sectors Kentucky has identified as priorities. It will “provide high skilled, highly technical training that Southeastern Kentucky desires and deserves” in manufacturing, construction and transportation, Lindon said.
The college is located in an opportunity zone, which is a designation created by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 to provide tax advantages in lower income areas.
HCTC provided matching funds to assist in the $4.8 million project. Hazard Community and Technical College also received $2.5 million from Abandoned Mine Land funds and $600,00 from the Appalachian Regional Commission Power Grant.