Big Sandy Community and Technical College was awarded a $3.5 million Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce Economic Revitalization grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission to create a vibrant economic future in coal-impacted communities in eastern Kentucky. The grant was the largest of the 28 awards announced on Thursday, January 19. BSCTC created the Eastern Kentucky Coal County Transformation project as a way to launch a comprehensive, employer-driven workforce development program, focused on building the digital economy and strengthening digital innovation and entrepreneurship across a 16-county region in eastern Kentucky.