A $100,000 grant from Truist Foundation will fund a pipe rack simulator for Greenville Technical College’s new Center for Welding and Automation Excellence (CWAE). The investment will provide students with additional training opportunities as they prepare for careers in welding, pipefitting and industrial construction.
Pipe racks are structural systems used to support piping in industrial facilities. The new simulator will provide students with hands-on experience working on a structure that reflects the types of projects they may encounter in the field, helping bridge the gap between classroom instruction and real-world application.
“One of the best ways we can prepare students for successful careers is by giving them opportunities to learn in environments that reflect the workplaces they’ll enter after graduation,” said Gina Blohm, executive director of the Greenville Tech Foundation.
The 44,000-square-foot Center for Welding and Automation Excellence is scheduled to open this fall.
In addition, the Bosch Community Fund has awarded a $31,980 grant to the Greenville Tech Foundation to support advanced manufacturing education for students at the South Carolina College.
The funding will help support equipment and resources that give Greenville Tech students experience with modern manufacturing technologies. Students will have opportunities to design, print, test and refine components in real time, applying classroom concepts while building practical skills used in today’s engineering and manufacturing environments.
Colorado
The Littleton Rotary Foundation last month presented the Arapahoe Community College (ACC) Foundation with $3,000 at the ACC Littleton Campus.
The gift will support ACC’s James McKechnie Memorial Scholarship, honoring the longtime member of Littleton Rotary and prominent civic leader in Littleton for many years. McKechnie also served as the first president of the Arapahoe Junior College (now Arapahoe Community College) Governing Council when the school was founded in 1965. McKechnie passed away in 2025.
The ACC Foundation awarded more than $1.7 million in student scholarships during the 2025-26 academic year.
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The 13 colleges in the Colorado Community College System have been included in a $25 million initiative to honor the 25th anniversary of the Reisher Scholars Program at The Denver Foundation.
Through this initiative, grants have been awarded to current and future school partners across Colorado in 2026, to their general scholarship funds.
“This investment celebrates 25 years of transformative partnerships and positions the Reisher Scholars Program for its next chapter of growth,” said Javier Alberto Soto, president and CEO of The Denver Foundation. “By putting significant resources directly into the hands of institutions that share our commitment to student success, we are strengthening relationships statewide and opening doors for the next generation of Colorado scholars.”
The Community College of Denver Foundation has received a $325,000 grant from the program to provide scholarships to students at the Community College of Denver (CCD) over the next two academic years.
And the Community College of Aurora (CCA) Foundation is receiving a $225,000 grant. Although this is the first year for CCA to receive funding directly from the program, The Denver Foundation has provided CCA students with scholarships to support transfers to four-year universities through the Reisher Bridge Program. The additional funding will allow the CCA Foundation to expand the impact of scholarships it offers to students.
Iowa
Gov. Kim Reynolds and the Iowa Department of Education have awarded $2 million in grants to Ellsworth Community College and Iowa Western Community College through the state’s Career Academy Incentive Fund. The grants will help to establish two new regional centers, creating more pathways to postsecondary success.
The Career Academy Incentive Fund creates and supports partnerships among community colleges, schools, local businesses and community stakeholders. The new regional centers at Ellsworth Community College in the Iowa Valley Community College District and the main campus of Iowa Western Community College will serve students from 11 school districts and two nonpublic schools, providing access to 11 career academy programs.
Ellsworth will use the funds to remodel and renovate lab facilities and classrooms, and construct new facilities to support the career academies. The site will host career academies in construction technology, agricultural science, welding and entrepreneurship.
“We are committed to bringing opportunities to area students while fostering a strong partnership with our area school districts. This will not only impact our students, but also our communities, as it will create another talent pool for local and area businesses,” said Ellsworth Provost Barb Klein.
Iowa Western will use its grant to establish a new regional center at its Transportation and Logistics Center. The regional center will expand CTE opportunities to students in seven school districts with career academies in welding, construction management, plumbing technology, HVAC/R maintenance, electronics and industrial systems, diesel maintenance and automotive maintenance.
Ohio
Stark State College will lead a statewide effort to modernize engineering technology education and address Ohio’s growing need for skilled advanced manufacturing technicians through a $2.35 million National Science Foundation (NSF) grant.
The initiative, known as the Strategic Coordination for Advanced Learning and Employment in Manufacturing (Ohio Scale-M) Consortium, will create a statewide model for aligning education with industry workforce needs in automation, artificial intelligence and microelectronics. It’s being launched in partnership with the Ohio Association of Community Colleges, Lorain County Community College and Owens Community College.
The consortium aims to strengthen Ohio’s manufacturing workforce while creating a framework that can be replicated in other states.
“With more than 3,100 students earning engineering technology and manufacturing-related degrees and certificates each year, Stark State is uniquely positioned to help lead this effort,” said Stark State President Para M. Jones. “By working with partners across Ohio, we are strengthening the connection between education and industry, expanding opportunities for students and helping build the workforce Ohio manufacturers need to compete and grow.”
The project will begin with the three partner community colleges and expand to include six additional colleges over a four-year performance period.
Texas
A $3 million scholarship commitment from the Kate Marmion Charitable Foundation will support nursing students across the Alamo Colleges District.
The three-year, $1 million annual investment supports up to 334 Alamo Colleges nursing students. Beginning this fall, scholarships will be awarded through the Alamo Colleges Foundation to eligible students pursuing an associate degree in nursing, as well as students pursuing a bachelor of science in nursing at San Antonio College.
According to Alamo Colleges District Chancellor Mike Flores, this gift “directly supports San Antonio’s healthcare workforce, strengthens the talent pipeline for students and employers, and helps ensure more families have access to the skilled care they need.”
The gift also builds on a growing partnership between the Kate Marmion Charitable Foundation and the Alamo Colleges District. Last year, the foundation contributed $300,000 to AlamoPROMISE, supporting 207 students as they pursued higher education.
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The Texas Workforce Commission recently presented El Paso Community College’s (EPCC) workforce and continuing education division with a check for $81,867. The grant will support specialized training and development for manufacturer Novipax Buyer, LLC.
The Texas Workforce Commission Skills Development Fund (SDF) grant will provide up-skilling to 40 new and incumbent employees of Novipax Buyer for 2,100 training hours. The funds will cover tuition and fees, instructional costs, curriculum development, books and administrative costs.
“We know that if we are going to be a successful operation, we must depend on one thing, our employees,” sais Novipax Buyer Production Supervisor Rene Antillon. “This will give our employees the opportunity to sharpen their skills, grow professionally and help us build an even stronger operation.”
