“This has the potential to be a game-changer in eastern Kentucky” –Stephenson
PRESTONSBURG, Ky. – Big Sandy Community and Technical College (BSCTC) was awarded a $250,000 grant through the Kentucky Appalachian Regional Development (KARD) fund.
The college’s project, “Transforming and Creating The Tech Community in Eastern Kentucky,” will be laid out in an upcoming announcement, according to BSCTC President Dr. Devin Stephenson.
“This collaboration will firmly establish a blueprint of training and job placement in high-tech fields,” he said. “It’s easy to talk about it, but our partners have come together to make the dream of a tech economy a reality.”
Dr. Stephenson said the collaboration will involve workforce, business and industry and the college.
“It’s about sitting around the table and leveraging our respective resources to create opportunities,” he added. “This has the potential to be a game-changer in eastern Kentucky, and in these difficult times, it is essential that we think outside of the box to re-create an economy that will transform our region.”
The state established KARD through a $2 million appropriation during the 2015 legislative session. This seed money will support efforts that include job creation and retention, entrepreneurship, tourism, broadband deployment, workforce training, leadership development, health and wellness, infrastructure and economic diversity.
“I want to thank SOAR (Shaping Our Appalachian Region), the Department of Local Government and Governor Matt Bevin for their support in this project,” said Dr. Stephenson. “Oftentimes ideas of this magnitude must start with a seed and this investment will go into fertile ground and yield great, life-changing results.”
