Lottery Funds Pay Off for Workforce Development
Published Apr 07, 2004
Graduation cap and books
“People are our greatest asset.”
It’s a statement echoed through the corridors of successful corporate offices worldwide. Finding these well-trained, top-notch workers, however, can be one of the biggest headaches for any industry relocating or expanding its facilities.
In Tennessee, workforce development efforts have received a huge boost thanks to the educational opportunities afforded by the new Tennessee Lottery.
After years of debate, Tennessee’s lottery has, quite literally, allowed thousands of students to hit an educational jackpot.
Beginning in 2004, lottery-funded scholars hips became available to Tennessee students attending public or private colleges or universities across the state.
The Tennessee HOPE Scholarship, designed for students graduating from high school, awards up to $4,000 annually to those attending a four-year institution and $2,000 to those attending a two-year school. All scholarships and grants are administered by the Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation using funds deposited into an education account by the Tennessee Education Lottery Corporation.
“It seems that every day we hear from students and families about how the HOPE Scholarship is raising their expectations and aspirations for education,” says Dr. Myron Oglesby-Pitts, director of the Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship Program. “In particular, many people say that the HOPE Scholarship will make it possible for them to go directly to a four- year institution.”
But the scholarships aren’t just for recent high school graduates. The Wilder-Naifeh Technical Skills Grants are designed to allow anyone, regardless of educational background or achievement, to attain a postsecondary education. In its inaugural year, proceeds from the lottery have funded more than 10,000 technical school scholarships totaling more than $12 million.
The lottery debuted on Jan. 20, 2004 and by the end of its first fiscal year on July 15 – a less than six-month period – had raised more than $123 million for education programs within the state.
“The Wilder-Naifeh Technical Skills Grant presents a unique opportunity for postsecondary education and regional business and industry to create partnerships that will vastly enhance the creative capacity and flexibility of our state’s workforce,” says Brian Noland, associate executive director of policy, planning and research for the Tennessee Higher Education Commission.
“Given that all Tennesseans are eligible for the Wilder-Naifeh grant program, this access to skills-based training will greatly expand the capacities of Tennessee’s workforce.”
It’s an opportunity that isn’t going unnoticed by prospective students. Though it’s too early to know total enrollment figures for the 2004-2005 year, the number of federal applications for student aid – required for all of the lottery scholarships – has jumped by almost 50,000, going from 118,879 in 2003 to 168,207 by the summer of 2004.
Story by Morgan Hardy
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