Photo: An architect’s rendering of the new 99,618-square-foot campus of TCAT Henry/Carroll which will be located on Highway 218 bypass. A groundbreaking is set for November 20 at noon.
Paris, Tenn.– Tennessee College of Applied Technology (TCAT) Henry/Carroll has scheduled a groundbreaking ceremony for noon on November 20 for the future home of its new campus located at 5215 Highway 218 Bypass, Paris. The public is invited and parking will be at West Wheel and Tire, 5320 Hwy 218 Bypass, Paris.
Site preparation has begun and construction is set for February 2025 of the new 99,618-square-foot facility which will include an administrative building and an academic building. The new campus is tentatively scheduled to open to students by late fall 2026. Upon completion, the college will be ready to accept students into its existing programs that will be relocated and expanded. These program offerings have been planned through data-driven analysis of workforce needs with assistance of business and industry in the region.
“This state-of-the-art building will help TCAT Henry/Carroll expand its role as a leading career technical education center for workforce development in our local community,” according to President John Penn Ridgeway. “We’re excited to begin construction of this long-awaited facility which was made possible by Governor Lee’s $1 billion investment in the TCAT Master Plan.”
This new facility, along with a new administrative/academic building on the branch campus in McKenzie, is funded by the generational $1 billion investment in the statewide TCAT Master Plan proposed by Gov. Bill Lee and approved by the Tennessee General Assembly – 29 major projects that include new TCAT extension campuses, new buildings on existing campuses, and other expansions and upgrades.
In his 2023 State of the State address, Gov. Lee said the TCAT Master Plan funding would be the “largest investment in our technical colleges in state history” and is needed to help prepare Tennessee for the future. “Our state’s economic success can also be measured by the number of jobs created – 170,000 new jobs in just four years. Now, our workforce pipeline must keep up.
“Pathways to success don’t look the same for every Tennessean, nor should they. For many, a certification from one of our Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology will open the right doors. Since 2019, we’ve prioritized TCAT construction across this state, so more Tennesseans can kickstart a great career close to home. Today, nearly 9 out of 10 graduates get a job in the field they studied,” Lee said.
“As we recruit industry to Tennessee, one of the deciding factors is whether or not we have a trained workforce readily available and the educational system to retrain and upskill,” said Bradley Jackson, president and CEO of the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce and Industry. “It makes our job easy when we tell them our state has prioritized technical training through our community colleges and TCATs and can provide customized training if needed.”
TCAT Henry/Carroll is part of the College System of Tennessee and governed by the Tennessee Board of Regents, offers career and technical education programs. A complete list of program offerings is posted on the college’s website at www.tcathenrycarroll.edu/programs.