TIFTON — Tift County School District was awarded one of three College and Career Academy grants by the state Dec. 1.

Tift County will receive approximately $3.1 million for the creation of the new Tift College and Career Academy, according to a press release from Georgia Lt. Governor Casey Cagle.

“Georgia’s students deserve every opportunity for academic success and, with the creation of Tift College and Career Academy, we are one step closer to ensuring every one of them as access to one of these world class learning institutions,” said Cagle. “Tift County Schools has embraced innovation in the classroom and I look forward to working with them as we bring business and community leaders together to truly unleash their students’ potential and build a workforce second to none.”

College and Career Academies, an initiative of Cagle, partner local school systems with technical colleges, other post-secondary institutions and local businesses, enabling the development of high school and college-level programs that train students for quality, in-demand jobs.

Students find that the academies’ challenging, hands-on programs provide greater relevancy and value which not only lead to higher graduation rates, but also employment.

“We’re excited about this opportunity because it will give us funds for construction to house programs that will let us partner with local businesses to teach the content and skills students need to improve the local workforce,” said Craig Matthews, CTAE director for Tift County schools.

The Tift County Board of Education, Southern Regional Technical College, Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College and community partners have worked together to apply for the grant, which will assist with funds for construction at the high school.

“This is a great chance for Tifton and Tift County businesses and industry to be a part of the education and training process of our future workforce, which will grow our economic development,” Matthews said.

The money from this grant will go towards construction of facilities to house the TCCA at TCHS and startup costs to launch new programs.