TCL receives $5.9 million federal grant for workforce center

The Technical College of the Lowcountry has received a $5,928,210 grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration, completing funding for the Arthur E. Brown Regional Workforce Training Center planned for the college’s New River Campus in Bluffton.

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick announced the award during the ribbon-cutting ceremony for Century Aluminum in Charleston.

The federal grant completes funding for the $27,428,210 project, which will include construction of a 52,000-square-foot workforce training center designed to expand training opportunities for students pursuing careers in advanced manufacturing and other high-demand fields.

According to the college, the new facility is expected to increase training capacity by approximately 850 students each year. The building will include flexible learning spaces intended to meet the workforce needs of existing employers as well as companies considering locating in the Lowcountry.

The Economic Development Administration said the project is expected to create 420 jobs and leverage more than $118 million in private investment. The press release did not specify how those estimates were calculated.

The center is named in honor of retired U.S. Army Gen. Arthur E. Brown Jr., who played a longtime leadership role at the college. Brown served as chair of the Technical College of the Lowcountry Foundation for more than a decade before serving 23 years on the college’s Area Commission, including 15 years as its chair.

During Brown’s tenure, the college opened the Mungin Center in Hampton, the Angus Cotton Building on the New River Campus and the Culinary Institute of the South, according to the college.

represents an investment in workforce development for the region.

“This center is an investment in people,” Boeding said in a statement. “It will prepare students for high-demand careers, help employers build the workforce they need, and strengthen the Lowcountry’s economy.”

According to the college, the workforce training center is the result of years of collaboration among TCL, regional employers, the Southern Carolina Alliance, the Beaufort County Economic Development Corp. and local governments. Those organizations identified a need for expanded workforce training to support the region’s growing economy.

The Arthur E. Brown Regional Workforce Training Center will serve Beaufort, Jasper, Hampton and Colleton counties, providing expanded workforce training opportunities for residents across the four-county service area.

The Technical College of the Lowcountry offers associate degrees, diplomas, certificates, workforce training and continuing education programs serving Beaufort, Jasper, Hampton and Colleton counties.