Cleveland State Community College and the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga (UTC) are partnering to provide opportunities for high school dual-enrollment students to explore careers in advanced manufacturing. They received a three-year, $800,000 National Science Foundation (NSF) grant for their project, Experiential Learning in Advanced Manufacturing towards Novel and Diverse Career Opportunities for Rural Tennessee Students (EXPAND TN).
The EXPAND TN program will work with dual-enrollment students from local high schools who are enrolled in Cleveland State’s technical calculations class at the Partners in Industry and Education (PIE) Center. UTC professors will incorporate project-based learning activities in the class as well as local industry tours and mentorship opportunities for the students.
Ten students from the class will have the opportunity for a paid six-week summer internship with local industry partners. These same students will be eligible for college scholarships if they pursue an engineering or advanced technologies degree at Cleveland State or UTC.
Bradley Harris, UTC associate professor of chemical engineering, says he wants students to understand that “you don’t have to get an engineering degree; there are multiple routes to go into this field. You can go into a certificate program; you can get a two-year degree in STEM … or advanced technologies, or you can go for an engineering degree.”
Kentucky
Bluegrass Community and Technical College (BCTC) has received a $650,000 three-year cybersecurity NSF grant. The college also has been redesignated as a Center for Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense through its applied associate in science degree in computer and information technologies program through 2028.
BCTC plans to implement outreach, mentoring and educational activities to encourage female and underrepresented college and high school students to earn credentials at the college that will prepare them for the cybersecurity workforce.
Maryland
Carroll Community College has received a $148,000 state grant to work with industry partners in developing education pathways for the high-tech and electrical vehicle field.
The funding comes through the Employment Advancement Right Now (EARN) Maryland program, which is industry-led and regional in focus. The flexible program allows workers to opt in at various stages depending on their experience, offering entry-level and advancement opportunities. The college will leverage its existing automotive technician certification program, including a partnership network that forms the foundation of its industry partnerships, according to a release.
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College of Southern Maryland (CSM) will use a $375,000 grant from the Maryland Higher Education Commission’s Campus Safety Grant Program to improve security systems at CSM’s four main campuses.
CSM will outfit all campuses exterior doors with electronic key/access points. The new access control system means that only individuals with proper credentials can access buildings, making the college environment safer and more secure.
Michigan
Gogebic Community College (GCC) will add dual-enrollment options for schools in rural areas thanks to a $121,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utilities Service Distance Learning and Telemedicine grant program.
The funding means smaller communities in the college’s service area will get the technology needed to create virtual learning hubs. GCC’s foundation will provide a 15% match to support the initiative.
New Jersey
Atlantic Cape Community College will use a $551,818 NSF grant to address the evolving technology landscape in the field of small, unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS). The project emphasizes instrument training for advanced sensors.
The anticipated outcomes of the project include more faculty trained to deliver new curricula, a diverse student population benefiting from the programs and measurable results in terms of enrollment, retention and graduation/credentials earned. By aligning the education provided with industry needs, the hope is to meet the workforce demand for skilled sUAS data technicians and contribute to the growth and advancement of the field.
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The Union County College Foundation raised $60,000 at its 9th Annual Close the Gap Cocktail Reception last month. The event supports Union College of Union County, NJ’s (UCNJ) strategic initiative to increase the graduation rates of Black students. Since the launch of the campaign, the graduation rate of Black students has more than quintupled.
The foundation launched the campaign in 2015 and has raised approximately $500,000 to support student scholarships, emergency funding and other support services.
New York
Guttman Community College in New York City recently received a $250,000 grant from the Carroll and Milton Petrie Foundation to support the college’s Early Career Experience program, which provides internship and professional networking opportunities for students to explore potential careers. Students receive three academic credits and complete 120 hours with their internship site.
“The grant also allows the college to close equity gaps by providing first-generation students and students from minoritized communities access to experiential learning opportunities that increase their competitiveness in a global marketplace,” Guttman Community College President Larry Johnson noted in a release.
Participating interns will learn core competencies sought by employers that are also key indicators of career success, according to the college. The skills include critical thinking/problem-solving, oral/written communication, teamwork/collaboration, digital technology, leadership, professionalism/work ethic, career management and global/intercultural fluency. Internships vary based on student interests; prior locations have included CoExist Gaming, Bike New York, Phipps Neighborhood and the Department of Youth and Community Development.
Ohio
Lorain County Community College (LCCC) and members of a higher education and tech consortium it facilitated will use a $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to deliver training for clean manufacturing and related jobs in the state.
With the grant, LCCC and the Ohio TechNet will launch the Ohio TechNet Industrial Assessment Center, which will provide workforce education in fields such as electric vehicle, battery, charger and semiconductor manufacturing, according to the college. The award is part of 21 new projects selected to receive $24 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to bolster the development of clean energy workforce training programs.
“As states across the U.S. embrace a manufacturing shift toward processes that help small and mid-sized businesses save money while reducing energy waste, LCCC is proud to help lead the workforce training within the cluster-specific, in-demand manufacturing occupations that will drive this shift,” LCCC President Marcia J. Ballinger said in a statement.
The sectors the partnership will focus on are based on numbers: by 2030, more than 27,000 new jobs will arrive in the state within the selected fields.
Tennessee
Tennessee Instrumentation Co. has donated $75,000 of specialized instrumentation equipment to Northeast State Community College (NSCC) to enhance hands-on learning for advanced manufacturing students.
The gear includes radar-level detectors, flow meters and other specialized instruments that help regulate and automate manufacturing processes. They will be used at the college’s Regional Center for Advanced Manufacturing (RCAM) in associate degree programs in general, electrical, machine tool and welding/fabrication technologies.
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This fall, Roane State Community College will welcome students to a new wing of its Cumberland County campus, focused on health science education. The expansion is made possible thanks to several community leaders and supporters, most recently Ann and Oscar “Pepe” Perron, who gifted $150,000 to the campus expansion project.
The added labs and classrooms will help address a shortage of healthcare professionals in the area. It will include the campus’ first nursing program cohort this fall. Previously, students had to commute to other Roane State campuses to pursue health science degrees and certificates.
The total cost of the project is estimated at $2.5 million, with the state contributing $1.7 million. Roane State Foundation aims to raise the remaining $800,000 to complete the project and fund scholarships for the new and expanded programs.
Texas
Austin Community College (ACC) has received a $7.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Defense’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to provide training for semiconductor manufacturing.
The grant, awarded through ACC’s partners at the University of Texas at Austin (UT) and the Texas Institute for Electronics (TIE), will help ACC expand and develop new training programs, according to the college. ACC is the only community college among the project’s 18 partnering academic institutions.
ACC will tap its Semiconductor Technician Advanced Rapid Start (STARS) curriculum, which it developed in 2023, for the project. It allows students to work and simultaneously obtain college credit.
“Our education and training programs are directly connecting students with employers. It’s an honor to know that UT and TIE entrust ACC with these funds to continue building on our curriculum,” said ACC Chancellor Russell Lowery-Hart.
Wisconsin
With the support of an $86,000 grant, Lakeshore Technical College’s workforce solutions division will provide training to employees of the Vollrath Company. The grant comes from the Wisconsin Technical College System.
The training will serve 479 employees and focus on manufacturing, leadership, quality and safety. The goal is to help employees become more skilled at meeting industry challenges and better prepared for leadership roles.
