The following announcement was provided by MassBay Community College:
MassBay Community College is set to receive $735,000 as its share of a state-funded Workforce Training Grant. The funds are intended to create and expand training programs in high-demand industries, while helping populations who have traditionally experienced higher rates of unemployment and barriers to employment.
“These funds are of tremendous benefit to us at MassBay,” said David Podell, President. “For more than six decades MassBay has been providing the education students of all ages and backgrounds need to fill the jobs of the emergent economy and to embark on sustainable careers. These funds come at a time when the industries of MetroWest need skilled workers more than ever, so the timing is impeccable. MassBay stands ready to expand the reach of programs for which we are already widely renown, including health care, cybersecurity, education, and information technology.”
“These grants complement our administration’s ongoing work to address the skills gap by building additional training capacity at all the Commonwealth’s community colleges so people have opportunities to gain hands-on skills and knowledge in growing industries,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “It is crucial that we provide more residents with quality training options and eliminate the gaps between what skills the Massachusetts workforce has, and what skills employers need.”
“We are so grateful to our community college partners who know that education is a lifelong journey and want to help provide individuals in our communities with the tools they need to achieve success in the Massachusetts’ workforce,” said Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito.“These grants will enable more people to transition to new jobs in high-demand occupations where employers are hungry for talent.”
Each of the 15 community colleges in Massachusetts will receive these funds, which were included in An Act Relative to Immediate COVID-19 Recovery Needs, which was signed by Governor Baker in December 2021.
The grants will be jointly administered by Bunker Hill Community College and the Massachusetts Association of Community Colleges (MACC) with the Executive Office of Education and in consultation with the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development and the regional Workforce Investment Boards.