ATLANTA — The Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) has been selected by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) to administer the Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) Workforce Development Program. 

The grant will utilize $8.367 million of the $41.837 million allocation from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) awarded to Georgia in response to Hurricane Michael, which hit the area in October 2018. 

This partnership marks the advent of a four-year program to support Georgians by supplying residents of communities impacted by the disaster with the necessary skills and job readiness to increase their household income, according to a press release from the Technical College System of Georgia. Activities of the program will include on-the-job training, customized training, and job readiness services, as well as wrap-around social services that affect job readiness.

“The Technical College System of Georgia and its colleges are so appreciative to the Georgia Department of Community Affairs for allowing us to help steward the important work of the Community Development Block Grant in support of disaster recovery in Southwest Georgia,” said TCSG Commissioner Greg Dozier. “By supporting the workforce pipeline and economic revitalization in these communities, we not only support these regions, but our entire state.”

The Workforce Development program will serve a 20-county area in Southwest Georgia, including those hardest hit by the hurricane: Dougherty, Decatur, and Seminole counties. TCSG will be working closely with its colleges in these areas, including Albany Technical College, Oconee Fall Line Technical College, South Georgia Technical College, and Southern Regional Technical College, to implement the program in these service delivery areas.

“The Georgia Department of Community Affairs is proud to partner with the Technical College System of Georgia for this important initiative. The CDBG Disaster Recovery program has been essential in rebuilding Southwest Georgia from the effects of Hurricane Michael, and this Workforce Development Program is an extension of the recovery work in these 20 counties,” said DCA Commissioner Christopher Nunn. “Helping to build strong, vibrant communities means more than infrastructure. It also entails supporting the job market, education, childcare, and equal access to opportunities. This holistic approach to revitalization will provide sustainable, stable solutions that will continue to enhance the State of Georgia.”

The program will begin implementation in summer 2021. For more information and to determine program eligibility, please visit www.DCA.GA.gov.