Sussex County Community College Awarded $822,000 TAACCCT Grant
Newton, NJ – October 2, 2014 – As part of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez and Secretary of Education Anne Duncan announced the winners of $450 million in job-driven training grants to more than 270 community colleges nation-wide, including Sussex County Community College. The Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) program is through the Department of Education and the Department of Labor works to help job seekers get the skills they need for in-demand jobs.
Sussex County Community College (SCCC) and the New Jersey Health Professions Consortium comprised of 11 community colleges in New Jersey collaborated on a competitive application process to win a TAACCCT grant. From this grant, SCCC will be awarded $822,000 in funding to help expand health care certification programs such as Phlebotomy Technician, Certified Home Health Aide, Certified Nurse Aide and EKG Technician. The grant will also support partnerships with area employers to help link graduates with high-skilled, high-wage jobs. The TAACCCT Grant Program began in 2009 and was funded by President Barack Obama in March 2010 with funding of $2 billion to be awarded over four years.
Sussex County Community College President, Dr. Paul Mazur stated, “This is a wonderful opportunity for the College and the community. With fewer high school graduates each year in the county, and the expanding number of adults changing careers or out of work, the College is focused on improving our ability to offer degrees and certificates in twenty-four months or less that can lead to employment.”
Alberta Jaeger, SCCC’s Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs noted, “Along with the recent $250,000 major gift to fund the College’s new School of Agriculture, the TAACCCT Grant will provide support for new courses at SCCC in the health sciences. The grant will also help SCCC to transition its Surgical Technician program from a certification course to an associate degree, for-credit program. All of this new funding helps reinforce SCCC’s mission to provide students with the programs and tools they need to succeed.”
Leave a comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.