Healey-Driscoll Administration Awards Nearly
$15 Million in Skills Capital Grants
Funds will support 65 high schools, colleges, and educational institutions in upgrading technology and lab spaces, expanding career programs for young people and adults
MARLBOROUGH – The Healey-Driscoll administration announced that it is awarding nearly $15 million in Skills Capital Grants to 65 high schools, colleges, and educational institutions. This funding, announced at Assabet Valley Regional Vocational Technical High School, will support schools and institutions to upgrade technology and instructional lab spaces, expand career programs for young people and adults, and increase capacity in workforce training programs across Massachusetts.
“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 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.”
“Schools receiving Skills Capital Grants partner with local businesses and align curriculum and credentials with industry standards, ensuring our students are prepared for when they enter the workforce,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “These grants are a win for our students, schools, employers and local communities.”
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. This Cabinet works 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.
“Skills Capital grants provide students with the modern and immersive spaces and tools to prepare them for them for the workforce and successful careers,” said Education Secretary Dr. Patrick Tutwiler. “These are the spaces, resources, and experiences that they deserve. I am so grateful for schools like Assabet Valley Technical High School that are utilizing these grants to reimagine student learning experiences with updated technology and equipment.”
“As an initiative of the Workforce Skills Cabinet, the Skills Capital Grants provide valuable resources for our vocational schools to benefit students and adult learners with hands-on tools and equipment,” said Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development Lauren Jones. “The Healey-Driscoll Administration appreciates partnering with awarded schools to collaborate in preparing our future workforce with critical skills training for career paths in fields like manufacturing, construction, and other trades.”
Skills Capital Grants have improved 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 students to have learning experiences that are relevant, real-world and interactive, and Skills Capital Grants help make that possible,” said Acting Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education Russell Johnston. “Working with the right equipment helps bring lessons to life and connect school to students’ futures.”
Assabet Valley Regional Vocational Technical High School has been awarded several Skills Capital Grants since fiscal year 2022, totaling $2,767,691, including nearly $500,000 from this round, which will support the school’s Electrical and Automotive Technology programs to purchase training equipment aligned with current industry-standard technology and workforce demands.
Yesterday, Education Secretary Patrick Tutwiler, Labor and Workforce Development Secretary Lauren Jones, Acting Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Russell Johnston, Superintendent Ernest Houle, and local officials toured their new HVAC lab that was supported by more than $1.2 million from a previous round of Skills Capital Grants.
"Assabet Valley RVSD is honored to receive the FY24 Skills Capital Grant, enabling us to further enhance our Electrical and Automotive Technology programs. This grant reflects our commitment to meeting industry demands, expanding enrollment, and equipping our students with the skills for success in high-demand fields. We are grateful to the Healey-Driscoll Administration for the support that will empower our students to excel in their careers and post-secondary pursuits," said Assabet Valley RVSD Superintendent-Director, Ernest F. Houle.
“I am delighted to see Assabet Valley receive this grant to buy the equipment needed to ensure that students enter the workforce with the skills to succeed,” said Representative Carmine Gentile (D-Sudbury). “We need more people going into the trades, which provide steady, good paying jobs for working people. Thank you to the Executive Office of Education and the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development for prioritizing this crucial workforce training.”
“For over 50 years AVRTHS has been serving our region by providing our students with the critical technical skills needed to succeed in the world,” said Representative Danielle Gregoire (D-4th Middlesex). “I am thrilled that our Administration has recognized this excellence and has awarded this critical grant, ensuring our students have the most updated resources and tools they need.”
Latest Round of Grantees:
Awardee | Grant Amount |
ACCEPT Education Collaborative | $75,000 |
Assabet Valley Regional Vocational Technical High School | $499,980 |
Barnstable High School | $500,000 |
Benjamin Franklin Cummings Institute of Technology | $238,000 |
Berkshire Community College | $85,000 |
Blackstone Valley Technical High School | $153,000 |
Bourne High School | $50,000 |
Bristol-Plymouth Regional Technical High School | $500,000 |
Brockton High School | $500,000 |
Cape Cod Community College | $154,034 |
Danvers High School | $150,000 |
Dighton Rehoboth Regional High School | $316,628 |
Essex North Shore Agricultural and Technical School | $350,000 |
Fitchburg State University | $300,000 |
Gloucester High School | $93,000 |
Greater Fall River Regional Diman Regional Vocational Technical High School | $250,000 |
Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical High School | $250,000 |
Greenfield Community College | $210,000 |
Holyoke Community College | $375,000 |
Holyoke High School | $500,000 |
Junior Achievement of Western Massachusetts, Inc. | $70,000 |
Just A Start | $80,600 |
Keefe Regional Technical School (South Middlesex Regional Vocational) | $195,753 |
Lawrence High School | $150,000 |
Leicester High School | $371,987 |
Leominster Center for Technical Education Innovation | $499,307 |
Lower Pioneer Valley Career and Technical Education Center | $250,000 |
Marblehead High School | $75,000 |
Massachusetts Maritime Academy | $200,000 |
Massasoit Community College | $100,000 |
MassBay Community College | $188,810 |
Middlesex Community College | $450,000 |
Millbury Memorial High School | $75,000 |
Minuteman Regional Vocational Technical School | $275,000 |
Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School | $300,000 |
Monument Mountain Regional High School | $129,810 |
Mount Wachusett Community College | $425,000 |
Nashoba Regional High school | $75,000 |
Nashoba Valley Technical High School | $275,000 |
North Shore Community College | $90,528 |
Northampton High School | $185,890 |
Northeast Metropolitan Regional Vocational High School | $50,000 |
Northern Berkshire Vocational Regional School District, McCann Technical School | $84,150 |
Peabody High School | $250,000 |
Pentucket Regional High School | $140,301 |
Pittsfield High School | $247,705 |
Plymouth South High School | $201,630 |
Quaboag Regional High School | $75,000 |
Quincy College | $195,000 |
Quincy High School | $188,527 |
Quinsigamond Community College | $171,016 |
Randolph High School | $145,993 |
Reading Public Schools (Reading Memorial High School) | $75,000 |
READS Collaborative | $190,000 |
Salem High School | $347,626 |
Shawsheen Valley Technical High Schools | $361,950 |
Somerville High School, Center for Career & Technical Education | $204,897 |
South Shore Regional Vocational Technical High School | $300,000 |
Springfield Technical Community College | $306,643 |
Uxbridge High School | $142,000 |
Waltham High School | $499,921 |
Webster Public Schools, Bartlett High School | $75,000 |
Westfield Technical Academy | $141,260 |
Whittier Regional Vocational Technical High School | $350,000 |
Worcester Public Schools, North High School | $60,000 |
