These grants, ranging from $50,000 to $500,000, enable schools to acquire the newest technologies to educate students and expand career education opportunities. They cover a broad array of fields, from construction and engineering to healthcare and hospitality.
Lt. Governor Karyn Polito, Secretary of Education Jim Peyser, Secretary of Housing and Economic Development Mike Kennealy and Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development Rosalin Acosta made the announcement at Worcester Technical High School.
Governor Charlie Baker said the grants create “career pathways to give students experience and expertise in industries that are expanding in the Commonwealth. These beneficial programs will give thousands of students a head-start on prosperous careers and we look forward to seeing their progress.”
Lt. Governor Polito said the Skills Capital Grants “were originally designed to help students in vocational programs learn about the most up-to-date equipment…however, it has since evolved to help a broader population of students be ready for our Commonwealth’s knowledge-based economy.”
Over the past four years the Baker-Polito Administration has awarded $65+ million to 233 different programs. Thanks to the grants, schools have expanded their enrollment capacity in high-demand occupations, enabling more than 12,500 additional students to enroll in these educational programs.
Secretary of Education James Peyser said the Commonwealth is working “to create effective pathways to college and careers for our students to ensure they have the relevant skills, knowledge and experience to succeed. These Grants are one more way we are trying to expand those opportunities to more students.”
Secretary of Housing and Economic Development Mike Kennealy said, “A strong pipeline of talented workers throughout the Commonwealth…is critical to our ability to attract employers to locate and expand here, and for adding great jobs now, and in the future.”
Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development Rosalin Acosta noted that over the last five years, “the grants are bridging the skills gap in critical industries and helping thousands of students access the training they need to acquire a good paying career in some of the Commonwealth’s most high demand employment categories.”
The Skills Capital Grants are awarded through Governor Baker’s Workforce Skills Cabinet, which was created in 2015 and which includes the Secretariats of Education, Labor and Workforce Development, and Housing and Economic Development. The mission is to align education, economic development and workforce policies, and to strategize how to meet employers’ demand for skilled workers in every region of the state.
The competitive grants are awarded to educational institutions that demonstrate partnerships with local businesses, and which align curriculum and credentials with industry demand. The 2018 Economic Development Bill, filed by the Governor and passed by the Legislature, established an additional $75 million in Skills Capital Grant funding.
This round of Skills Capital Grants is funded through money the state received from the sale of General Electric’s headquarters. Last month, the administration also committed $86 million to expand MassHousing’s Workforce Housing Initiative using money from the GE sale.
Schools can also now apply for an additional round of Skills Capital Grants, totaling $15 million, to be awarded in the fall.
The following schools and educational institutions received Skills Capital Grants in this round:
• Assabet Valley Regional Technical High School, $281,000 Culinary Arts Program
• Attleboro High School, $250,000 Manufacturing and Robotics
• Ayer Shirley Regional High School $82,951 STEM Pathway
• Barnstable High School – $250,000 Environmental Science &Technology Pathway
• Blackstone Valley Vocational Regional School District – $375,000 Engineering Innovation Labs
• Bristol County Sheriff’s Office – $300,000 Advanced Manufacturing
• Dearborn STEM Academy, Boston Public Schools- $300,000 Computer Science Pathway
• Bridgewater State University – $299,000 Aviation Programs
• Bristol Community College – $499,108 Offshore Wind Energy
• Cape Cod Community College – $310,000 Engineering Prototyping and Training Center
• Danvers High School – $150,000 Information Technology and Manufacturing Innovation Pathway
• EDCO Collaborative – $298,588 Healthcare
• Essex North Shore Agricultural and Technical School District – $499,995 Veterinary Science Program
• Franklin County Technical School – $275,000 Veterinary Science Program
• Greater Lowell Technical High School – $381,051 Health Science Expansion
• Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical High School – $300,000 Welding Technology Automation
• Hampden County Sheriff’s Department – $168,940 Fundamentals of Food Service
• Holyoke Community College – $230,068 Health Science Program Expansion
• Madison Park Technical Vocational High School – $449,000 Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Training Lab
• Mashpee Public Schools – $250,000 Advanced Manufacturing Lab
• Massasoit Community College – $250,000 Diesel Technology Program
• McCann Technical School, $150,000 Advanced Manufacturing
• Middlesex Community College – $250,000 Dental Hygiene and Dental Assisting
• Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School – $384,258 Health Career and Automotive Technician Training programs
• Mount Wachusett Community College – $55,643 Healthcare workforce
• New Bedford High School – $275,000 Information Technology and Logistics Laboratory
• Northampton Public Schools -$133,879 IT Innovation Pathway and Cisco Academy
• Northbridge High School – $225,000 Health Services and IT Innovation Pathway Programs
• North Shore Community College $385,684 Healthcare
• Northern Essex Community College, $185,136 Robotics and Automation Technology
• Pathfinder Regional Vocational Technical High School – $225,000 Healthcare and Biomedical Sciences
• Per Scholas Greater Boston $51,444 – Information Technology
• Quincy High School – $148,100 Radio and Television Broadcasting Technology
• Quinsigamond Community College – $476,807 Dental Technician Workforce
• Roxbury Community College – $300,000 Smart Building Technology Engineer Technician
• School of Reentry at Boston Pre-Release – $105,223 Information Technology
• Somerville High School – $186,900 Welding and Metal Fabrication Technician
• South Shore Vocational Technical High School -$298,000 Advanced Manufacturing and Precision Welding Technicians
• Southeast Middlesex Regional Vocational School – Keffe Tech, $150,000 Horticulture and Landscape Management
• Springfield Technical Community College – $500,000 Health Science and Electrical Engineering Technology
• Tantasqua RVHS – $260,000 Advanced and Adaptive Manufacturing Training
• Upper Cape Cod Regional Technical High School – $260,000 Marine Services Technician Program
• Uxbridge High School – $175,000 Information Technology Innovation Pathway
• Whittier Regional Vocational Technical High School – $409,225 Heating, Ventilation, Air-Conditioning, and Refrigeration
• Worcester Technical High School – $210,000 The One Health Initiative