Governor Robert Bentley has announced two grants totaling $122,590 for programs that will provide unique educational opportunities for youth in Randolph County and the city of Piedmont.

The grants from the Appalachian Regional Commission will help start a biomedical and health-care science program in Piedmont and a civic leadership program in Randolph County.

A $70,190 grant to Piedmont City Schools will help the system hire a health-care science teacher and purchase additional classroom equipment to start the program. Each year, the program will help up to 50 students start earning credentials and certifications to be nursing assistants, phlebotomists and radiology technicians. Local and state funding totaling $71,431 will supplement the award.

A $52,400 grant to the Randolph County Industrial Development Council will help fund a program to develop civic leadership abilities in 20 students. Five students from each high school in the county will meet weekly with the program director to learn about civic engagement, leadership and workforce development. They also will develop a civic project and complete a 40-hour work experience with a local business in an industrial, professional, entrepreneurial or agricultural field. Local funding of $13,100 will supplement the award.

The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs administers the ARC program in Alabama. Congress established the ARC in 1965 as a supplemental grant program to raise the standard of living, improve the quality of life and promote economic development in portions of the 13 Appalachian mountain states. Thirty-seven Alabama counties are part of the ARC area.

ADECA manages a wide range of programs that support law enforcement, economic development, energy conservation, water resource management and recreation.