Chattanooga State Community College plans to partner with the Rhea County and Dayton city governments to create a welding program where local residents can train for manufacturing jobs.
City and county officials are talking about splitting the cost of leasing the $240,000 per year property at the Dayton Industrial Park, said Rhea County Executive Billy Ray Patton.
“We just feel like it would make a great impact on the community because we will be providing a class that would give them a trade to get them a good-paying job,” he said.
The Rhea County Commission will vote on the welding program proposal at its meeting Tuesday, and Mr. Patton said he hopes the city will take up a similar proposal shortly.
Dayton Mayor Bob Vincent could not be reached for comment, but he has said that TVA’s efforts to meet emissions regulations will increase the need for welders.
Six months ago, the county surveyed local residents about interest in a local welding school and 20 people said they would enroll if one was available.
Although Chattanooga State has campuses in Dunlap and Kimball, those are too far for many Rhea residents to attend, local leaders said.
Local resident Glenn Keylon said his grandson Justin was accepted to a welding program in Dunlap beginning in the fall but will struggle to pay for the commute.
“I would dearly love to see it here,” he said. “There are lots of people here in Rhea County that would like to have the experience here so they can get on with TVA or a plant in Chattanooga.”
The Southeast Tennessee Development District will provide $140,000 to help with the cost of equipment, and local officials met with Chattanooga State officials last week to talk about curriculum and instructor needs.
Chattanooga State will earn the enrollment dollars from students, and the school could open as soon as October, Mr. Patton said.
“We won’t be recouping our costs,” he said. “The benefit will be just citizens in the county getting welding jobs.”
Officials with Chattanooga State said they don’t intend to open another satellite campus in Rhea County, but they would help provide training and instructors if local leaders decide to lease a building.
Jeff Olingy, a spokesman for Chattanooga State, said the college already leases a site and teaches some courses in Rhea County, but that space can’t be converted for a welding program.
Students who enter the welding program would be students of the Chattanooga State Tennessee Technology Center, he said.
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