Quinsigamond Community College (QCC) was awarded $500,000 in state funding to train and help place over 70 participants into biotechnology jobs. Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito, along with Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development, Rosalin Acosta, visited QCC’s Healthcare and Workforce Development Center on Tuesday, June 21 to announce the grant, which is part of the Senator Kenneth J. Donnelly Workforce Success Grants for Expanded Training Capacity & Employment Program Performance.
QCC President Luis G. Pedraja, Ph.D. expressed gratitude towards the state for its continued support which is vital to the mission of the college.
“Education is at the heart of any type of economic growth and these programs are essential for that growth. For instance, we have been meeting health care needs in the community through our certified nursing assistant, respiratory care and radiology programs because the hospitals are in great need of workers. We have also been developing shorter term programs with MassBio, Massachusetts Biomedical Initiatives and AbbVie,” Dr. Pedraja said.
Lt. Governor Polito concurred that education directly affects the economy.
“Massachusetts being an innovative economy requires us to have a robust education system at all levels. To make sure that we are investing in the physical places where the exploration can take place and the learning that is directly relevant to what is happening in workplaces today,” she said. “The students who are graduating from these incredible colleges and universities right here in Central Massachusetts are going on to incubate their ideas into commercial employers.”
Secretary Acosta praised QCC for its apprenticeship program and wraparound services.
“I’m encouraged by the work that’s being done here at QCC and all the grantees that have been awarded today. I’m very optimistic that our academic institutions are going to step up to meet this moment. We need our community colleges more than ever. You have the best platform to get this work done,” Secretary Acosta said.
After the announcement, Lt. Governor Polito and Secretary Acosta toured some of QCC’s healthcare labs where they interacted with state-of-the-art simulation equipment including manikins that have vital signs and can talk and breathe.
Action for Boston Community Development, Berkshire County Regional Employment Board, and Holyoke Community College were also awarded funding from this series of grants that will encourage training and placement in industries such as K-12 education and nursing.