Quinsigamond, Mt. Wachusett colleges to receive $735K state workforce training grants
WORCESTER — Students graduating from Quinsigamond and Mount Wachusett community colleges' training programs will be better equipped to succeed in the commonwealth's key industries after each school received a $735,000 workforce training grant.
The commonwealth's 15 community colleges all received an equal portion of the $15 million grant, which will help create and expand training programs in high-need industries such as health care, education and manufacturing.
"This grant will provide accessibility to training programs to many individuals who don’t have the means to pay for training that will allow them to enter the health care and/or IT field," said Kathleen Manning, dean of the Center for Workforce Development & Continuing Education at QCC.
Students at QCC looking to become a back-end web developer, front-end web developer, personal care aide or certified as a medical assistant, medical administrative assistant or nurse assistant will be able to at no cost.
The programs will be offered in English and Spanish and will be available in Worcester and Southbridge.
This is the second grant QCC has received to help develop workforce training programs. In June, QCC had received a $500,000 grant that grant focused on training and placing over 70 participants into biotechnology jobs.
However, the newest grant will help "support the creation and expansion of training programs at community colleges for high-demand industries, identified by regional labor market blueprints," Manning said.
According to the press release, approximately one third of the $15 million grant will be devoted to health care industry training programs.
Mount Wachusett Community College
Mount Wachusett Community College in Gardner will also focus on expanding already existing programming serving the priority industries of North Central Massachusetts with a particular focus on health care, said Vice President of Workforce Development and Lifelong Learning Adam Duggan.
The training programs will focus on enrolling populations including those highlighted by the Black Advisory Commission and Latino Advisory Commission, who have traditionally experienced higher rates of unemployment and barriers to employment.
"As part of an ongoing strategy given persistent racial inequities and related workforce challenges in the commonwealth, and in the context of rapidly shifting economic conditions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, QCC is also committed to uplift populations who have traditionally experienced higher rates of unemployment and barriers to employment," Manning said.
She said that QCC will partner with regional employers to help connect students with employment opportunities, which will offer people an affordable entry point into an industry they might otherwise not be able to afford.
"QCC works very closely with industry partners to understand their workforce needs and ensure we have the resources to train individuals, with the requisite skills needed, to take positions with local employers," Manning said. "These training programs provide a lifeline to those looking to quickly skill up and enter employment."
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: QCC, MWCC to receive state workforce training grants
