Minuteman
Lands $500,000 Competitive State Grant
to Help
Launch New Career and Technical Program
LEXINGTON – With the help of a $500,000
state grant, Minuteman High School will launch a new Advanced Manufacturing
& Metal Fabrication program to train high school students and adults for
high-wage, high-demand jobs in the field of advanced manufacturing in the
MetroWest region.
The competitive grant was announced by
Governor Charles D. Baker during ceremonies at the State House on February
24. The Governor announced grants
totaling $9.3 million from the new Massachusetts Skills Capital Grant
Program. He was joined at the event by
Lt. Governor Karyn Polito, Labor
and Workforce Development Secretary Ronald Walker II, Education Secretary James
Peyser, and Housing and Economic Development Secretary Jay Ash.
Some 68 schools and training programs
applied for grants. Only 35 were
successful.
“This is terrific news for our school
and for our region,” said Dr. Edward A. Bouquillon, Superintendent at Minuteman
High School. “We are grateful to
Governor Baker and his Workforce Skills Cabinet for making this investment in
high-quality vocational-technical education.”
Minuteman received $500,000, the largest
grant possible under the program. Only
one other school received the maximum award.
With the grant, Minuteman will purchase
10 industry-standard machines and 15 ancillary training simulators. The equipment will include five Mini Mills,
four CNC Tool Room Lathes, and one CNC Lathe with Y Axis.
The equipment will help Minuteman serve
vocational high school students, academic high school students, unemployed and
underemployed adults, and incumbent workers seeking to earn industry
credentials.
"Securing this highly-competitive
state grant helps reduce costs to local taxpayers,” said Dr. Bouquillon. “Minuteman will continue to aggressively
pursue opportunities like this one to get grants.”
Instruction will be delivered at
Minuteman High School by Chapter 74 state-licensed teachers and will follow
state curriculum frameworks and guidelines from the National Institute for
Metalworking Skills (NIMS). The new
program will be guided by a Program Advisory Committee of business, education
and community leaders that will review curriculum, equipment, instruction, and
industry trends.
Dr. Bouquillon noted that nine companies
or agencies wrote letters supporting Minuteman’s grant application. These include the Boston Tooling &
Machining Association, Inc.; Vaccon Vacuum Products; Mach Machine, Inc.;
Lexington Public Schools; Wentworth Institute of Technology College of
Professional and Continuing Education; Partnerships for a Skilled Workforce;
North Central Massachusetts Workforce Investment Board; Metro North Regional
Employment Board; and the Minuteman Futures Foundation, Inc.
Several business people and educators
have already agreed to serve on the Program Advisory Committee for the new
program.
According to Michelle Roche, Director of
Career and Technical Education at Minuteman, the school will be ordering and
installing equipment and designing the new program over the next several
months. The school is hoping to have
initial course offerings in the fall.
Minuteman officials are currently
planning a new 628-student high school consisting of two Career Academies
supporting a total of 16 high-quality career and technical education
programs. Advanced Manufacturing will be
part of the new school’s Engineering, Construction and Trades Academy.
Minuteman
is an award-winning regional high school that integrates robust academic and
career & technical learning to deliver a revolutionary competitive
advantage. The school serves a diverse student body with multiple learning
styles, expanding opportunities for college and career success.
As
an accredited member of the New England Association of Schools & Colleges
(NEASC), Minuteman challenges all students to aspire to their full potential,
accelerate their learning, and achieve success in the 21st-century global
community.
