Cook campus of Wiregrass Tech to receive $99,999 grant
The Trump Administration has announced that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) will award a $99,999 Rural Business Development Grant to the Cook County campus of Wiregrass Georgia Technical College.
This Rural Development investment will be used to purchase and equip a mobile training laboratory for the framing construction technology degree program at the Cook campus.
Amy A. Carter, Deputy Commissioner, Rural Georgia Initiatives, Georgia Department of Economic Development, stated to Cook County Economic Development Executive Director Lisa S. Collins: “The investment in the mobile training labs in framing construction technology will produce a workforce to benefit your efforts in recruitment and retention.”
USDA is awarding 16 grants, totaling $1,384,000 for rural business development and job creation in Georgia, including the $99,999 for the local mobile training lab. Funding comes from the Rural Business Development Grant program. “This program is vital for workforce development, business development and job creation,” USDA Rural Development State Director Joyce White said. “It can be used by technical colleges to modernize classroom equipment to train a technically skilled workforce, and small towns to renovate business centers, start business incubators and expand opportunities with this program.
“Under the leadership of President Trump and Agriculture Secretary [Sonny] Perdue, USDA continues to be a strong partner with rural communities, because we know that when rural America thrives, all of America thrives.”
White announced projects last week in Ben Hill, Camden, Coffee, Cook, Lincoln, Lumpkin, Meriwether, Seminole, Stephens, Towns, and Wilcox counties.
This program provides grant money to assist with economic development planning and/or the financing or expansion of rural businesses. Projects must be in rural areas with a population of 50,000 or less.
USDA Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities and create jobs in rural areas. This assistance supports infrastructure improvements; business development; housing; community facilities such as schools, public safety and health care; and high-speed internet access in rural areas. For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov.
