Holyoke High School Dean Campus was awarded a $500,000 Skills Capital Grant to upgrade technology in the school’s Advanced Manufacturing and Health Assisting programs as part of a statewide initiative to expand career training programs for students. Dean was one of 65 high schools, colleges, and educational institutions in Massachusetts awarded such grants this month, for a combined total of $15 million in funding.
At HHS Dean Campus, the $500,000 grant award will support the school's Advanced Manufacturing and Health Assisting Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs, bringing state-of-the-art equipment and enhanced educational opportunities to its students.
“The awarded grant focuses on key industry areas that have the most job openings in Western Massachusetts,” said Career and Technical Education Director Joel McAuliffe. “We will replace outdated manually operated lathes and milling machines with cutting-edge programmable multi-access advanced manufacturing machines for our Advanced Manufacturing program. For the Health Assisting program, the grant will fund equipment to support scale-up efforts so we can install a full simulation lab in the near future that will align our program with industry standards found in hospitals and patient care areas.”
Dean has collaborated with key industry partners—including Holyoke Community College, Holyoke Health Center, and Haas Automation—to ensure programs meet current industry standards. “These partnerships will provide students with opportunities for internships, job shadowing, and potential employment post-graduation,” Mr. McAuliffe said. “This grant will significantly support the local community by providing a skilled workforce to fill critical workforce shortages in the manufacturing and healthcare industries. It will also create a pipeline of skilled workers for local employers, which in turn will support the local economy.”
The Skills Capital Grants are awarded by the state’s Workforce Skills Cabinet, which brings together the Secretariats of Education, Labor and Workforce Development, Economic Development, and Health and Human Services. Cabinet members work together to align education, economic development, and workforce policies to meet employers’ demand for skilled workers in every region of Massachusetts.
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.
Across Massachusetts, Skills Capital Grants in the past have been used to improve learning experiences across several high demand fields, including to purchase training equipment aligned with current industry-standard technology and workforce demands in the automotive industry.
The funds have also been used to modernize and expand instructional lab spaces to increase enrollment in HVAC programs and purchase new equipment to provide specialized training for careers in offshore wind projects, green technologies, and energy efficiency. Further, some organizations have used funding to purchase virtual reality equipment to help students with disabilities earn credentials that lead to professions in the health services industry, including certified nursing assistants.
“We want to ensure that what students learn in school helps them get where they want to go, while also meeting our workforce needs,” said Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey. “These Skills Capital Grants will ensure our students and adult learners have access to innovative technology, equipment, and spaces to gain the skills they need to prepare them for successful careers in high demand industries.”