Delaware Technical Community College accepts a $105,000 three-year grant from the Franklin P. and Arthur W. Perdue Foundation for the Advanced Manufacturing Pathways program in Kent and Sussex counties. From left are Randy Day, chief operating officer of Perdue Farms, Dr. Ileana Smith, vice president and Owens Campus director, Paul Morris, assistant vice president for Workforce Development and Community Education, and Dr. June Turansky, vice president and Terry Campus director.
Perdue Foundation Presents Delaware Tech Grant for Advanced Manufacturing Partnership Program
September 28, 2016
The Franklin P. and Arthur W. Perdue Foundation recently awarded a three-year $105,000 grant to Delaware Technical Community College to grow manufacturing training and education in Kent and Sussex counties. The Foundation is the charitable giving arm of Perdue Farms.
“This is about educating and exciting people about manufacturing and creating a pipeline to connect them with manufacturing careers to support and fuel the manufacturing industry,” said Dr. Ileana Smith, vice president and Owens Campus director. “This partnership spans the state of Delaware, and having an industry leader like Perdue supporting us means so much to this endeavor.”
The grant will provide Delaware Tech’s Owens and Terry campuses with expanded program offerings beyond the current Advanced Manufacturing Pathways Program that is available to high school juniors and seniors. Both campuses will use the grant to purchase the next phase of manufacturing equipment and to fund scholarships to expand the program offerings at the Woodbridge Manufacturing Lab in Bridgeville. Workforce training and education opportunities will be made available to incumbent workers in the manufacturing field, as well as displaced workers seeking retraining.
“We provide jobs, but we need the trained and skilled associates to fill those jobs,” said Randy Day, chief operating officer of Perdue Farms. “We recognize this program will provide the skill and training for a job field that is in high demand. We value the opportunity to help Delaware Tech and the workforce of tomorrow.”
Delaware Tech expanded the Advanced Manufacturing Partnership Program in 2015 with Woodbridge and Seaford school districts in Sussex County and with Capital School District (Dover) in Kent County in 2016. The career paths are manufacturing logistics, production, and engineering. Programs are now available in all three Delaware counties.
Delaware Tech recently received a Program Exemplary Award from the National Council for Workforce Education for the Advanced Manufacturing Pathways Program.
The grant was officially announced at a press conference on Sept. 23 at the Woodbridge Manufacturing Lab, which is located behind Woodbridge Middle School in the Barry Cooper Building. Administrators from Delaware Tech were in attendance, along with administrators from Seaford and Woodbridge school districts, as well as students from both high schools who are currently in the Advanced Manufacturing Pathways Program.
About Delaware Tech
Delaware Technical Community College, the First State’s only community college, offers academic, technical, community education, and workforce development comprising more than 100 associate degree, diploma and certificate programs. The College is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. Delaware Tech has four campuses across Delaware in Georgetown, Dover, Stanton and Wilmington. For more information about Delaware Tech, visit www.dtcc.edu.
About Perdue Farms
We’re a third-generation, family owned, U.S. food and agriculture company. Through our belief in
responsible food and agriculture, we are empowering consumers, customers and farmers through trusted
choices in products and services.
We focus on continuously improving everything we do, constantly learning, and sharing those insights
across different production methods. That innovative approach is driving change throughout the company
and onto farms. This continuous advancement is leading us toward our vision of becoming the most trusted
name in food and agricultural products.
The PERDUE® brand is the number-one brand of fresh chicken in the U.S., and Perdue AgriBusiness is an international agricultural products and services company. As we approach our 100th anniversary in 2020, our path forward is about getting better, not just bigger. We never use drugs for growth promotion in
raising poultry and livestock, and we are actively advancing our animal welfare programs. Our brands are
leaders in no-antibiotics-ever chicken, turkey and pork, and in USDA-certified organic chicken. We’ve
increased our support for the family farm by creating new markets, including specialty crops. Through
agricultural services, we give farmers more options for the acre, including conversion to organic production and products and services that increase the sustainability of conventional agriculture. Learn more at www.perduefarms.com.
About The Franklin P. and Arthur W. Perdue Foundation
The Franklin P. and Arthur W. Perdue Foundation, the charitable giving arm of Perdue Farms, was established in 1957 by company founder Arthur W. Perdue and is funded through the estates of Arthur W. Perdue and Frank Perdue. As part of our belief in supporting the communities where and with whom we do business, the Foundation provides grants on behalf of Perdue Farms in communities where large numbers of our associates live and work. At Perdue Farms, we believe in responsible food and agriculture.®
