MARLBOROUGH – Superintendent Ernest F. Houle has announced that Assabet Regional Vocational Technical High School has been awarded a $250,000 grant as part of the state administration’s ongoing Skills Capital Grant program.
Assabet Valley was awarded $250,000 as part of the latest round of funding, which was announced at an event at Essex North Shore Agricultural & Technical School in Danvers on Dec. 13.
The funding will allow the school to add technology and new equipment to support updating the school’s cosmetology instructional lab.
Gov. Charlie Baker and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito were joined at Essex Tech for the announcement by current and former members of the Workforce Skills Cabinet.
“The administration has been an invaluable partner in achieving our vision of training students and adult learners to be career-ready when they leave Assabet,” Houle said. “Many thanks to the Baker-Polito Administration for all of its support.”
Houle wishes to recognize Director of Career and Technical Education Bryant Laflamme, Director of Workforce Economic Development Mary May and Assistant Director of Career and Technical Education Kerri Baltramaitis for developing the grant application, and cosmetology teachers Crystal Blake and Judy Izbick for their assistance.
Approximately $39 million was awarded to nine organizations to undertake major building construction projects, funded through An Act Relative to Immediate Covid-19 Recovery Needs, passed by the Legislature and signed by Baker, which included $100 million in state resources to provide capital improvement grants to vocational high schools and public schools operating career and technical education programs.
The second round of grants totals $11.7 million to 38 organizations for technology equipment upgrades, and is funded through the 2018 Economic Development Bill, which established $75 million in Skills Capital Grant funding over five years.
The programs receiving grants as part of this latest round of funding will make strategic investments during the next two years to grow their career technical education programs to provide more learning opportunities for both traditional high school students and adult learners, with several schools expanding their Career Technical Initiative programs to offer more learning opportunities in the late-afternoon and evening. Over the next five years, these grant awards will directly impact approximately 10,000 students across 38 programs.
Since 2015, 538 Skills Capital Grants totaling more than $200 million have been awarded to schools and educational institutions across the commonwealth, with many organizations receiving multiple grants over the years. The competitive grants are awarded to educational institutions that demonstrate partnerships with local businesses, as well as align curriculum and credentials with industry demand to maximize hiring opportunities in each region of the state.
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