HATHORNE – Superintendent Heidi Riccio is pleased to announce that Essex Tech has been awarded just under $1.5 million in grant funding from the Baker-Polito Administration to expand training opportunities.
Essex Tech was awarded $1.2 million in Career Technical Initiative (CTI) grants for its NightHawks Adult Education Program designed to expand existing – and develop additional – opportunities for adult training, credentialing and employment options for high-priority industries in need of a workforce.
NightHawks CTI Programs include Advanced Manufacturing, Automotive Technology, Auto Collision Repair, Carpentry, Construction Craft Laborer, Culinary Arts, Electro Mechanical Assembly, HVAC, Plumbing Tier 1, and Welding. The MassHire North Shore Career Center is a collaborative partner in this program, providing a high level of job placement opportunities for the NightHawks students through employer meet and greets, presentations, company tours and job fairs.
“In partnership with the MassHire North Shore Career Center, we have substantially increased our employer engagement, often resulting in multiple job offers for our NightHawks students,” said Bonnie Carr, Director of Workforce Development at Essex Tech.
Essex Tech was also awarded a $242,000 Skills Capital grant. The Skills Capital grant program is intended to help educational institutions increase student access to career and technical education and reduce skill gaps in high-priority industry sectors, including the electrical field. Through this Skills Capital grant, Essex Tech purchased electrical equipment for its off-campus projects, increasing opportunities for electrical students to work within local communities.
The Career Technical Initiative, which launched in 2020, aims to train 20,000 new skilled workers in key trades and technical jobs over the next four years.
Since 2015, 477 Skills Capital grants totaling approximately $129 million have been awarded to 194 schools and educational institutions across the Commonwealth. Approximately 50,000 students across the Commonwealth have directly benefited from Skills Capital grants.
“The Baker-Polito Administration has been an extremely strong supporter of technical education and of Essex Tech,” Superintendent Riccio said. “As a result of that support, our students and adult learners have developed skills that lead them to high-paying jobs in high-demand industries.”
###