TCAT nursing program to start in Houston County; county to advertise RN instructor

County staff informed the commission that Tennessee College of Applied Technology (TCAT, identified in the meeting as “TCAT out of Dixie”) has secured a grant and will bring a nursing training program to Houston County. The presenter said TCAT expects to start classes “in September of ’26” and that the first cohort will be about 20 to 24 students. Staff told the commission TCAT may add a welding class and an industrial maintenance program in future years if initial classes perform well and if additional grants can be secured. County staff said TCAT will post a job advertisement looking for a registered nurse to teach the class in February. “If you know anybody needing a job, they’ll be putting in the paper posting,” the staff member said. No formal county action was recorded on the program during the work session; the discussion appeared under old business as an update from staff. Background: the meeting also recorded that two new notaries, Catherine Moe and Tanisha Turner, were appointed and noted to attend Monday night. Next steps: staff said TCAT would proceed with program setup and that the county would assist with outreach and recruitment of an RN instructor when the posting is issued.