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The College and Career Academy at Pruden will receive a front-end loader, excavator and motor grader heavy equipment simulator thanks to a state grant.

Superintendent of Public Instruction Jillian Balow announced the Pruden grant as part of $600,000 in funding for 16 school divisions to upgrade equipment for career and technical education programs in schools and technical centers.

Each division will receive $37,500 to purchase new equipment and make other improvements to enhance student learning.

“Technological change is a constant that impacts every career field, from agriculture to health sciences,” Balow said. “These grants will help Virginia’s career and technical education programs keep up and provide the up-to-date equipment and technology students need to prepare for the career opportunities of today and tomorrow.”

The General Assembly established the CTE equipment grant program in 2016, and the Virginia Department of Education awarded the first grants to schools and technical centers in 2017. Since then, the program has provided $3.6 million to help school divisions update equipment and enhance learning and experiences for career and technical education students.