Wake Tech Community College is offering up to $500 per student to help displaced tobacco workers cover the cost of retraining in the auto detailing, HVAC and hospitality fields. 
Wake Tech has already awarded the scholarships to nine students to defray the costs of 10-week retraining courses. The community college plans to distribute the rest of the money through November.
At the current rate, more than 50 students could qualify for the scholarships, which have averaged out to $175 per student so far. The courses cost $175 each, but some students may qualify for more, depending on their financial need.
The scholarships come from a $10,000 grant Wake Tech received from the N.C. Tobacco Trust Fund Commission. Information on applying is available from Wake Tech's Continuing Education program.
John Murawski has been a full-time newspaper reporter since 1991, with stints at Legal Times and The Chronicle of Philanthropy (both in Washington, DC), The Philadelphia Inquirer and The Palm Beach Post (in South Florida) before arriving at the N&O in December 2004. At the N&O he covers energy (nuclear, coal, renewable, efficiency), hydralic fracturing (or "fracking"), public utilities (both electric and natural gas) and health care. His beat includes Progress Energy, PSNC Energy, Piedmont Natural Gas, PowerSecure International, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck, Novo Nordisk, Pfizer, Biogen Idec and others. You can reach him at 919-829-8932 or
Comments
Wake Tech scholarships for displaced tobacco workers
Wed, 02/22/2012 - 11:55 — annerussellBravo! This is a constructive way to transition from the tobacco industry which is now proved to dispense poison which causes destruction to the human body, and to make excellent use of our community college system.