Amarillo College officials are to be presented with a state grant from the Texas Workforce Commission of more than $160,000 to support a Bell training program.

The ceremony is scheduled for 10 a.m. Thursday on the second floor of the College Union Building on their Washington Street Campus. Texas Workforce Commission’s Chairman Tom Pauken is expected to participate in the ceremony.

The Skills Development Fund grant will supoprt the continuance of a specialist program for aircraft assemblers who work for the Bell plant in Amarillo.

Eaerlier this month, plant officials announced the completion of a $31M hangar with 500,000 feet of ramp space for helicopter work. Roger Williams, head of Bell’s Amarillo plant, has said the plant employs about 1,200 workers and is hiring 140 new workers this year.