October 26, 2020

On October 22, West Alabama Works presented the Tuscaloosa County School System with $389,440 for career technical education. This funding is made possible through West Alabama Works’ POWER (Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization) Grants, awarded by the Appalachian Regional Commission.

Specifically, the funding was used for the second phase of the renovation of the former Brookwood High School, which is now the Brookwood Career Technical Annex. The second phase of the career technical annex includes facilities for instruction in health sciences, hospitality and tourism, and modern manufacturing. 

TCSS previously received a POWER Grant from West Alabama Works, in the amount of $165,000, for the first phase of the Brookwood Career Technical Annex. Phase one was the conversion of the former BHS gymnasium into a logistics training center.

Not only does this funding help prepare students to work in high demand career fields, but it also allowed TCSS to update and give new purpose to an existing facility. 

“Career technical education is the basis for our workforce pipeline, giving West Alabama’s students the best possible chance at success, by training them in in-demand fields while in high school,” said Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama Chief Operating Officer and West Alabama Works Executive Director Donny Jones. 

“These POWER Grant funds, made possible by West Alabama Works, were very helpful in enabling the Tuscaloosa County School System to develop an outstanding career tech center in Brookwood that serves students from multiple high schools and diverse student populations,” TCSS Director of Career Technical Dennis Duncan said.

“The process has truly been a team effort.”

TCSS offers career technical training programs within our eight middle schools and six high schools. Programs are offered in all 16 of the National Career Clusters.