PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. — Charlotte County Public Schools was just awarded $1.4 million in grant funding to create advanced manufacturing programs.
"This included $600,000 for Port Charlotte High School's new advanced manufacturing program which starts in August of 2025 and Charlotte Technical College's advanced manufacturing program which will start in January of 2026," said the Director of Career & Technical Education for Charlotte County Public Schools Brian Granstra.
The grant came from the Florida Department of Education's Workforce Capitalization Incentive Grant Program.
Granstra told FOX 4's Victoria Scott that students will use robots to produce products for the space industry.
You can watch Victoria's full report with the CTE Director here:
"We are the first school district in Florida to be a space academy school district, which means our programs prepare students for the aerospace industry in Florida," he said.
Granstra also told Scott it aligns with Governor DeSantis' vision for workforce education.
"We want every student to have the opportunity of choosing their own E – whether it be employed, enlisted, or enrolled upon high school graduation," Granstra said.
Vestas aircoil U.S. in Punta Gorda has shown interest in working with students who will be in the new CTE program.
It's a company that specializes in aircoils for cruise ships and freighters.
"We're a relatively new manufacturer to the area and we're growing," said General Manager of Vestas aircoil U.S. Christopher Bergljung. "Having a support like them to build a technical expertise for the new hires we'll be hiring is very important for us."
Granstra said high school students who dual-enroll at Charlotte Technical College won't have to pay tuition.
Adults who already graduated high school will need to pay tuition.
The CTE Director said that cost will be around $5,000 or $6,000 a year.
