Today, Strada Education Network selected West Georgia Technical College to receive a grant through Strada’s Employer and Community College Partnership Challenge. Strada awarded this $400,000 grant as part of an effort to support innovative collaborations across the country between community colleges and employers in the region. West Georgia Technical College also will participate with Strada in a community of practice to learn from other select community college-employer partnerships around the country.

West Georgia Technical College will be partnering with several local businesses in the LaGrange service area to identify and expand new solutions that will improve career and life opportunities for students within the LaGrange through the development of a regional workforce training center. West Georgia Technical College will work with the Business-Higher Education Forum (BHEF) for facilitation and the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) for support system on this initiative.

In addition to West Georgia Technical College, 10 other colleges received grants:

Broward College, Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Carl Albert State College, Sallisaw, Oklahoma

Community College of Rhode Island, Warwick, Rhode Island

Green River College, Auburn, Washington

Honolulu Community College, Honolulu, Hawaii

Ivy Tech Community College, Indianapolis, Indiana

MiraCosta College, North San Diego County, California

Pima County Community College, Tucson, Arizona

Salt Lake Community College, Salt Lake City, Utah

Surry Community College, Dobson, North Carolina

“At Strada, we believe in investing in innovative solutions that deliver results beyond completion,” Strada Education Network President and CEO Stephen Moret said. “Community colleges have long played a critical role by serving the dynamic needs of both learners and employers in their communities. We are thrilled to have the chance to support college leaders and employers who are coming together to provide timely opportunities for learners.”

Strada Education Network created this grant-making initiative as the first step in a strategy to partner with community colleges to support stronger local economies and communities. This represents Strada’s first major investment in the transformative potential of the community college sector and a recognition that community colleges have a unique capacity to address changing local workforce needs. The initiative aims to improve employment and socioeconomic outcomes after degree or credential completion for students who historically have faced significant barriers to economic mobility.

“Community colleges are engines of opportunity with unique insight into local dynamics and needs,” Strada Impact President Ruth V. Watkins said. “We’re honored to both support and learn from these programs as we work to align measures of success beyond completion with the things that matter most to learners: career mobility and earning potential, meaningful work and the chance to contribute to their communities.”