The federal government has awarded Centralia College’s Pacific Northwest Center of Excellence for Clean Energy along with two other Centers of Excellence and eight community colleges nearly $10 million to give students the skills they need for careers currently in demand.
The money will go toward a project called Washington Integrated Sector Employment, otherwise known as WISE. It’s aimed at giving entry level training in clean energy, construction and advanced manufacturing, and will involve eight community and technical colleges, five workforce investment boards, the Washington State Labor Council and several private employers.
Centralia College will be the lead in the WISE project.
The program is expected to reach almost 2,000 adults through the Pacific Northwest Center of Excellence for Clean Energy at Centralia College, the Construction Center of Excellence at Renton Community College and the Center of Excellence for Aerospace and Advanced Manufacturing at Everett Community College.
Announced from the office of Vice President Joe Biden, the money is just some of the $450 million given to almost 270 community colleges nationwide as part of the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) competitive grant program.
The money comes in the fourth and final round of the of the TAACCCT program, which was created in 2009 and is co-administered by the Department of Labor and Department of Education. The program has given nearly $2 billion in grants in total.
More than 400 employers nationwide are partnering with schools to teach skills in information technology, medical care, energy and advanced manufacturing.
The goal of the program is to help low wage workers transition into jobs that offer a middle-class income.
Sen. Patty Murray, D—Washington, applauded the announcement with a statement on her website.
“When community colleges have the resources they need to partner with local employers and train their students to fill local jobs, the whole community reaps the benefits,” Murray said in a news release. “This is a strong investment that will help more Washington state students earn a ticket to the middle class through training programs that are directly connected to local businesses and growing local industries.”
According to data provided on Murray's website, Centralia College received the largest amount of the share of grant money, with $1.8 million. The remaining money was distributed to the consortium that includes Bates, Everett, Shoreline, South Seattle, Renton, Green River and Walla Walla.
