Effingham Regional Career Academy is rebranding itself, armed with grant funding from a national telephone carrier.
ERCA will now be known as CORE Academy, Creating Opportunities for Regional Employment Academy. The goal of CORE Academy is to create on-site targeted educational opportunities and a pipeline of skilled individuals for area employers.
In conjunction with the new title, CORE Academy received a $50,000 grant from T-Mobile. The phone carrier awards 25 Hometown Grant Awards across the nation each quarter. Typically, an entity has to apply numerous times to receive the grant but, in CORE's case, the grant was awarded the first time they applied. The 25 grants were made from more than 800 applicants.
CORE Academy President Jami Sidwell said, "We are deeply honored to receive this grant from T-Mobile, which will enable us to expand career pathways and add technologies for CORE. This funding represents not only an investment into our mission but also the future of the individuals and businesses we serve."
ERCA, now CORE Academy, involves 14 area school districts, Lake Land College, local government and the business community. Lake Land President Josh Bullock said the goal of CORE is not just to help local businesses with their employment needs, but to educate local residents to take advantage of employment opportunities. The flexiblity of CORE was emphasized by Bullock, who said the program can "turn on a dime as needs of the business community change."
Clinton "C.J." Yancey, Jr., T-Mobile's Regional Manager, said, "We want to make an investment in small town rural areas, and continue the investment in future years."
CORE had examples of their business and education partnerships during the grant announcement and name change ceremony at HSHS St. Anthony's Memorial Hospital.
Effingham County Board Chairman Josh Douthit said, "The Effingham County Board has been a big supporter of ERCA and is excited to see how the new CORE will strengthen partnerships with local industries that will provide our students with even greater opportunities for success in their chosen fields."
The new CORE Academy name reflects several key aspects of the institute's identity:
--community-focused education reaching beyond traditional boundaries
--opportunities for both high school and adult learners
--real-world skills development aligned with industry needs
--excellence in technical and trade education