TURNERS FALLS — Superintendent Richard Martin is pleased to announce that Franklin County Technical School District has been awarded funding as part of a state grant program aimed to bolster career technical education in the state.
On Friday, July 22, the Baker-Polito Administration announced it was awarding more than $32 million in grants to modernize equipment at career technical programs and expand training opportunities for young people and adults as part of the administration’s multi-year effort to address skills gaps so more residents can pursue careers in growing industries and employers can hire qualified workers to grow their businesses.
As part of this latest round of funding, FCTS will be awarded a grant of $544,000 to provide training to 84 participants in the following pathways: Automotive Services Technicians and Mechanics, Carpentry, Culinary Arts, and Welding. Employer partners include B.E. Frank Construction, LLC; M.I.B. Construction; Subaru of New England; McGovern Automotive Group; SMART Sheet Metal Workers Local 63; Boilermakers Local 29; and Airgas.
The Governor’s office announced $22 million in Skills Capital grants awarded to 70 educational institutions, and an additional $10 million awarded to 23 vocational schools to expand programs for both young people and adults as part of the Career Technical Initiative (CTI). This round of CTI grants will help train more than 1,600 people for new careers in construction, manufacturing and other trades with growing workforce demands.
“On behalf of the entire FCTS community we are grateful to the Baker-Polito Administration for their continued support of career technical education in the state,” Superintendent Martin said. “Preparing students to enter the workforce with the skills and knowledge needed to succeed is at the heart of what we seek to provide, and this funding will go a long way in helping us do that.”
Skills Capital grants and Career Technical Initiative grants are awarded by Governor Baker’s Workforce Skills Cabinet, which was created in 2015 to bring together the Secretariats of Education, Labor and Workforce Development, and Housing and Economic Development to align education, economic development and workforce policies to strategize around how to meet employers’ demand for skilled workers in every region of the Commonwealth.
“Since our administration launched these critically important programs, high schools, colleges and other educational institutions throughout the Commonwealth have created and expanded numerous training programs with Skills Capital Grants and developed new training opportunities for young people and adults with the Career Technical Initiative,” said Governor Charlie Baker in a statement. “We are very proud of the lasting impact these grants will have on the Massachusetts workforce and the future of the Commonwealth as they prepare the next generation of innovative leaders in cutting-edge industries.”
The $10 million in grants announced as part of the Career Technical Initiative will fund new CTI programs or expand existing programs at vocational high schools in partnership with the Commonwealth Corporation and MassHire Career Centers and Workforce Boards. Click here to see the full list of Career Technical Initiative awards.
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