Buckeye Hills Career Center receives financial award to fund education programs

The Appalachian Regional Commission has awarded $1.5 million to Buckeye Hills Career Center to fund high school and adult education programs.

The award is part of the Appalachian Regional Commission’s Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization Initiative, or POWER. The POWER initiative is supporting 21 projects with a total purse of $21 million to fund 211 counties that are impacted by the coal industry. 

The goal of POWER is to “[target] federal resources to help communities and regions that have been affected by job losses in coal mining, coal power plant operations, and coal-related supply chain industries due to the changing economics of America’s energy production,” according to their website.

POWER started in 2015, and has since awarded 393 projects in 358 counties with $316.6 million. Last year almost $73 million was given out to either create or retain over 10,000 jobs.

Starting this April, the Appalachian Regional Commission’s award will be used by Buckeye Hills Career Center to construct and institute a Commercial Driving License, or CDL, training program and facility. In addition, three other programs will be implemented: a Heavy Equipment Operations and Engineering program, a Broadband Telecommunications program, and a Heavy Diesel Mechanics program. These programs were selected, and will be designed to fit the economic opportunities that are available now in the Appalachian region, according to a report by Gallipolis Daily Tribune.

Another target for the spending of this award is critical infrastructure improvement so that underserved counties, such as Meigs and Vinton, will be able to have better access to transportation services. In this way, it will be easier for students who stand to gain the most to be able to access the educational services already offered by Buckeye Hills Career Center, as well as the new programs being developed and implemented.

Buckeye Hills Career Center offers both high school and adult education programs, including several types of manufacturing courses, as well as practical nursing and other healthcare programs. More information about BHCC and the programs they offer can be found at their website.