The U.S. Department of Education announced a $600,000 competition last month to advance technology education for rural high school students amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The Rural Tech Project aims to provide schools with resources to develop technology education programs and is intended to break down barriers between education and industry, said Scott Stump, assistant secretary for career, technical and adult education, in a press release.

“No matter where they want to work or what they want to do, today’s high school students will need advanced technology skills,” he said.

Rural communities often lack the instructional support needed to create high-quality career and technical education programs, according to the competition’s website. But having a distance-learning model can help address constraints such as limited staffing and increase students’ ability to earn industry certifications and credentials.