NEW BEDFORD, Mass. /Massachusetts Newswire/ — Today, Lieutenant Governor Timothy Murray announced eight grants funded through the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center’s (MassCEC) Workforce Capacity Building and Youth Pathways initiative totaling $658,000.
The grants will support workforce training programs that build the instructional capacity of staff, faculty and instructors and expose students to clean energy concepts at higher education institutions, secondary and vocational technical high schools, and community-based/non-profit organizations. This initiative will also provide an opportunity for organizations to work directly with clean energy companies and provide work experience to low-income high school students and disconnected youth between the ages of 16 and 24.
“The clean energy industry is a growing sector in the Commonwealth’s innovation economy,” said Lieutenant Governor Murray. “As we continue to strengthen the industry, we need to invest in a talented pipeline for our workforce and this funding will support the training of our students and promote workforce development and training for future jobs in Massachusetts.”
“This year’s round of grants will empower secondary and vocational-technical teachers with the instruments needed to train our current and future workforce. The MassCEC’s Workforce Capacity Building Program is a proven success record,” said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rick Sullivan, who chairs the MassCEC board of directors. “The program secures the Commonwealth’s economic and clean energy future, and we are honored to award this new round of grants.”
“The Workforce Capacity Building and Youth training grants are an investment into the current and future clean energy workforce world, which directly benefits the 6,500 hundred employers in Massachusetts,” said MassCEC CEO Patrick Cloney. “By making certain that our secondary and vocational-technical high school educators have access to current clean energy curriculum and provide hands-on training for our youth, we are strengthening the workforce for employers and the Massachusetts economy.”
“We owe MassCEC a very big thanks for their investment in our clean energy workforce through this grant award to Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical High School,” said New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell. “The grant will enable students to continue to have access to the most cutting-edge tools and highly trained instructors, and ensure they are prepared for future jobs in Massachusetts burgeoning clean energy sector.”
MassCEC awarded funds to the following projects:
Boston After School & Beyond
Boston
$133,520
Boston After School & Beyond is a non-profit organization leading a partnership of the City of Boston and philanthropic, civic and private sector organizations, in designing and implementing an integrated youth development strategy for youth of Boston. The organization will develop and implement two programs: a six-week summer training program that will include paid internships and field trips to clean energy companies; and a yearlong after school program that will focus on clean energy career exploration and provide internships and hands on training in the clean energy industry.
Collaborative for Educational Services (CES)
Holyoke and Springfield
$85,996.39
CES is a public nonprofit, educational service agency that manages and provides services in Hampden County and throughout the state. Through its Hampden County Clean Energy Workforce Capacity Building Program the agency will provide clean energy teaching (summer institute), learning, mentorship and partnership opportunities for secondary school science, technology, math, career-technical school educators and community college instructors from the Holyoke and Springfield regions. The summer institute will include topics on biofuels, photovoltaics, wind energy, energy efficient building design, energy storage and fuel cells.
Community Action of the Franklin, Hampshire and North Quabbin Regions
Franklin, Hampshire and North Quabbin Region
$53,979.65
Community Action of the Franklin, Hampshire and North Quabbin Regions is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting economic justice and improving the quality of life for people with lower incomes. The Agency has been serving Franklin County since 1965 and Hampshire County since 2005. The organization provides social and advocacy services to more than 32,000 people annually. Through its Green Opportunities Initiative, low income youth will receive clean energy academic instruction and participate in internships at clean energy employers in the Franklin County region.
Framingham State University
Framingham and Statewide
$99,987.54
Framingham State University is comprised of teacher-scholars, students and staff dedicated to values that empower student success. Founded in 1839 as America’s first public teachers’ college, Framingham State supports 6,000 undergraduate and graduate students. The University will construct and implement a five-week summer externship program for secondary educators that will focus on strategies for secondary students’ exploration of clean energy careers, development of clean energy curriculum for secondary students and site visits to clean energy companies. The University will also co-sponsor a clean energy curriculum conference for technical school and comprehensive school STEM faculty.
Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical High School
New Bedford and Rochester
$76,067
Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical High School is a public vocational school. Built in 1977 the school is the largest career and technical high school in Massachusetts serving approximately 2,140 students in grades 9-12. The school will enhance their instructors’ knowledge of clean energy concepts and skills by providing training for electrical, HVAC and pluming instructors; update curriculum and purchase a Mobil clean energy simulated training unit that will provide instruction and hands-on experience for Greater New Bedford Vocational Technical High School and Old Colony Regional students.
Massachusetts Maritime Academy (MMA)
Buzzards Bay and Statewide
$48,452.70
Massachusetts Maritime Academy is a Higher Education Institution offering four year degrees. The institution focuses on STEM and clean energy education. Through its Educators’ Academy for Clean Energy Training (EACET), MMA will implement and develop a technology training program for secondary educators focusing on wind turbines, photovoltaic arrays, solar power lighting and geothermal heating and cooling.
Southeastern Regional Vocational High School
Brockton, East Bridgewater, Easton, Foxboro, Mansfield, Norton, Stoughton and West Bridgewater
$70,150
Southeastern Regional Vocational High School is a public school that educates 1280 students from eight member communities of which 65 percent of students live in Brockton. The post-secondary institution provides targeted technical training for students and adults throughout the southeast area. The Vocational High School will update and enhance faculty curriculum that incorporates clean energy technologies such as solar thermal, weatherization and HERS rating systems. After curriculum is enhanced, faculty will prepare and train Southeastern students in clean energy career areas and develop and implement a weatherization course for secondary and post-secondary students.
World Education, Inc.
Fall River, Hyannis, Clinton, Greenfield, Holyoke, Worcester, Greenfield, Boston
$89,880
World Education, Inc (WEI) is a non-profit organization that has more than 60 years of experience developing and building the capacity of adult education programs worldwide. WEI provides professional development and technical assistance in areas such as college and career readiness, health careers, curriculum and program development. Through its Adult Basic Education Clean Energy Ambassadors Project, WEI will integrate clean energy concepts into its science, math, STEM and English language instruction for adult learners and develop clean energy curriculum for adult learners.
About MassCEC
Created by the Green Jobs Act of 2008, MassCEC’s mission is to foster growth of the Massachusetts clean energy industry through funding to companies, universities, and nonprofit organizations; job training programs; and workforce development grants. MassCEC is also home to the Massachusetts Renewable Energy Trust, which supports the installation of renewable energy technologies with funds provided by small renewable energy charges on electric bills. More information is available at www.MassCEC.com
