ATLANTA ― Gov. Nathan Deal said Wednesday he will propose the state establish a separate scholarship within the HOPE grant program to provide full tuition for technical college students with a 3.5 grade-point average.
Deal, in an interview, said the new Zell Miller Scholarship in the HOPE grant program will help train the state’s workforce to meet critical employer needs. His office estimates some 16,000 technical college students would immediately qualify. Deal outlined a handful of his higher education proposals in an interview with The Associated Press in advance of the legislative session, which is set to begin Monday.
“All of us understand that one of the pressing needs we continue to have is technical college skills for attracting and actually filing the needs of existing businesses,” Deal said, adding he had heard of one company that recently wanted to expand but couldn’t find the workers they would need. “We want to make sure those problems do not persist.”
Deal is also proposing $10 million in state funds for low-interest loans made available to technical college students. In addition, Deal will ask that $3.6 million in state funds be set aside to pay for books and supplies of high school students dually enrolled in a technical college.
“We see this as a sound proposal that is certain to help thousands of current and future technical college students while also ensuring the future viability of the HOPE program,” said Mike Light, spokesman for the Technical College System of Georgia.
Last year, more than 34,000 students graduated from the 24-college system with thousands more enrolled. More than half of technical college students are age 26 and older looking to gain or retain a skill that is marketable in today’s economy, Light said. The number of students in dual enrollment has been rapidly increasing ― from roughly 5,000 in fiscal year 2012 to more than 7,000 in fiscal year 2013.
In 2011, the system saw a significant enrollment drop following changes made to the overall HOPE program. At the time, Deal and Republican lawmakers argued the changes were needed to keep the program afloat for future generations.
