Pictured above in the mechatronics lab at Warren County High School, from left, are Sally Pack, Motlow administrator of high school initiatives; Jimmy Walker, Warren County High School principal, Fred Rascoe, Motlow dean of career and technical programs; Charlie King, Motlow mechatronics instructor; Melissa Paz, Motlow mechatronics instructor; and John Marshall, Oakland High School principal.
The funding provided by the MCM grant will go a long way in enabling more students to enroll in this cutting-edge program.”
Because high school students don’t qualify for college scholarship assistance like Tennessee Promise and Hope Scholarships until they earn their high school diplomas, most of the grant will go toward the cost of tuition, fees, textbooks and materials for students who enroll in Motlow’s Middle College Mechatronics program.
The program will help advance Tennessee’s Drive to 55 initiative to equip at least 55 percent of working-age Tennesseans with a college degree or credential by 2025. For Tennessee to remain competitive in recruiting jobs, the state must continue to produce a trained workforce.
The Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development estimates a deficit of nearly 2,000 mechatronics-qualified workers each year.
