Driving Our Economy Forward: Chatt State’s Kimball Campus

KIMBALL, Tenn. (WDEF) — It’s never too late to continue your education.

Chattanooga State Community College’s Kimball campus is preparing students for the workforce.

Let’s see how Chattanooga State is driving our economy forward.

“We’re fortunate to be here,” said Patrick O’Hagan, Regional Impact Director, Chattanooga State Kimball. “I’m just in between Kimball and Jasper. So our main service area is Marion County, Sequatchie, and Grundy County, Tennessee. We also have individuals that commute over from Alabama and North Georgia as well. And it really is just a great place for individuals who are looking to get their education.”

“I’m not actually from here. I just moved out to Tennessee recently from California,” said Sara Roseistik, Student at Chattanooga State Kimball. “I really decided that I liked working with metal, so this is now getting me really into it. Since we didn’t have any welding classes in California.”

“You don’t have to come here for a two year college degree,” O’Hagan said. “You can start with a one year TCAT diploma or even a workforce development credential that can be done in just a matter of weeks to get you skilled up and create more opportunities for you.”

“So I found Chatt State, and I honestly would say that it’s changed my life,” said Zkya Bolek, first semester student at Chatt State Kimball . “It’s a lot more personalized. There’s only about 15 of us in a class, so any questions that we have, our professor can answer them right away.”

“The registered nursing program is a huge, huge thing for us,” O’Hagan said. “We currently have two cohorts going. It’s a two year program, so we have year one and year two on site here in Kimball and Marion County. We are in the middle of expanding that and doubling our capacity for registered nursing here in Kimball with the expansion of a nursing and allied health division.

“She is an apprentice at Valmont,” said Jeff Long, Industrial Maintenance Instructor at Chatt State Kimball. “She’s been hired on the Apprentice at Valmont. She works in weekend shifts on nights, and she comes to school during the week. And we were talking about that co-op situation, so she’s in the co-op program.

“It’s bettered my family and showed me just what all am capable of instead of just holding myself back. I mean, I liked other places I’ve worked, but I’ve always wanted more, and here gave me the opportunity to have more,” said Valorie Curington, Student-Apprentice at Valmont.

“We work really closely with the Greater Marion County Manufacturers Association and ensure on a regular basis that we’re getting feedback from them to provide the best instruction that we can to scale up individuals in the community for opportunity,” O’Hagan said.