BILLERICA, MA — The Baker-Polito Administration recently awarded nearly $3.3 million in Skills Capital Grants to 31 high schools and educational institutions, enabling the schools to acquire the newest technologies to educate students and expand programs.
The Governor and his three Cabinet secretaries on the Workforce Skills Cabinet made the announcement Thursday at Shawsheen Regional Technical High School, which has received more than $1 million in Skills Capital Grants over the past three years.
This year, the Shawsheen Tech received a $125,000 grant in advanced manufacturing.
Shawsheen Valley Regional Vocational School will modernization and update the drafting program and new engineering curriculum. The funding will enable the school to enroll a greater number of students and to offer new adult training programs in drafting and engineering design, as well as related advanced manufacturing courses to meet local employer demands. The grant funding will support purchase of collaborative display computer workstations capable of running the latest industry-standard software. Also, the addition of bench model technology will reinforce software training with hands-on, experiential learning opportunities.
With the announcement, the Baker-Polito Administration has awarded more than $52 million to 188 different programs over the past three years. Through the grants, schools have been able to expand their enrollment capacity, adding more than 10,000 additional students in educational programs across the Commonwealth.
This round of Skills Capital Grants aimed to give funds to educational institutions which focused on helping residents with barriers to employment, including those who are unemployed or underemployed, lack English proficiency, or residents who do not have degrees or certificates and need new skills to obtain good-paying jobs.
Along with awarding the new grants, Governor Baker announced an additional $12 million is available for schools to apply for now. The 2018 Economic Development Bill, filed by the Governor and passed by the Legislature, established an additional $75 million in funding for Skills Capital Grants. The grants range from $50,000 to $500,000.
The goal of the Skills Capital Grants is to help high schools, colleges and other educational institutions invest in the most up-to-date training equipment to give their students an advantage when they continue in their chosen field or particular area of study. The Skills Capital Grants cover a broad array of fields, from construction and engineering to healthcare and hospitality.
“Skills Capital Grants impact the education of thousands of young people across the Commonwealth and give them new opportunities and skills for a successful future,”Governor Charlie Baker said. “We are proud of the 10,000 new seats that have been added to these programs across Massachusetts and we look forward to continuing our work with schools and teachers to give more students the experience and knowledge that employers demand.”
“Skills Capital Grants create important career pathways for both students and adult learners across the Commonwealth to support key industries,” Lt. Governor Karyn Polito added. “Each program we visit is full of inspiring students excited to work with new equipment, so we look forward to this next round of grants and what it will mean for Massachusetts schools.”
The competitive grants are awarded to educational institutions that demonstrate partnerships with local businesses, as well as align curriculum and credentials with industry demand, in order to maximize hiring opportunities in each region of the state.
The Skills Capital Grants are awarded by Governor Baker’s Workforce Skills Cabinet. Governor Baker and Lt. Governor Polito created the Workforce Skills Cabinet in 2015, bringing together the Secretariats of Education, Labor and Workforce Development, and Housing and Economic Development in order to align education, economic development and workforce policies, and to strategize around how to meet employers’ demand for skilled workers in each region of the state.
(NOTE: The above press release is from Governor Charlie Baker’s Office.)
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