Montgomery College Awarded $15 Million U.S. Dept. of Labor Grant

Award Will Fund Cyber Technology Career Pathways Project at 14 Maryland Community Colleges

Montgomery College will receive a nearly $15 million federal grant award from the U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration job training programs, the White House announced Monday. A total of 14 community colleges in Maryland will benefit from the $14,957,899 in funding to support job-driven training programs. Montgomery College will receive $5,371,743 to lead the consortium of colleges focused on training in the cyber-security economic sector, information technology, professional, scientific and technical and educational services industries.

Today, Vice President Biden, Secretary Thomas E. Perez, and Secretary Arne Duncan announced the winners of $450 million in job-driven training grants going to nearly 270 community colleges across the country. The funding is part of the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) competitive grant program, which is co-administered by the Department of Labor and Department of Education.

“This is an exciting day for Montgomery College, our 13 partner institutions and for the state of Maryland,” said Dr. DeRionne P. Pollard, president of Montgomery College. “Together with these funds and our employer partners, Montgomery College and Maryland’s community colleges can enhance our efforts to attack the skills gap—connect more of our residents to good jobs and fuel our economy with workers ready with 21st century skills.” 

Maryland is a national center of cybersecurity with over 130,000 IT jobs–49% above the national average–yet many workers find these careers difficult to enter. The grant creates the Cyber Technology Pathways Across Maryland (CPAM) Consortium consisting of 14 of the state’s community colleges to spearhead the expansion of career pathways to address this workforce need—deepen our work to close the skills gap and connect more residents to high-quality employment.

These 14 community colleges from across the state of Maryland will work in partnership with key employer including IBM, Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, Rockwell Collins, Booz Allen, MedStar and a number of hospitals to develop training pathways for low-income workers with minimal prior education or experience in information technology or cybersecurity. To increase the likelihood of student success, participants will get upfront assessments, career planning and job search support. Students will have the opportunity to accelerate through a two-year degree that is aligned with NSA guidelines for Security & Information Assurance programs. Virtual internships will also be offered to all students to increase their interaction with employers. In the next three years, the program intends to graduate nearly 2,000 students and employer partners have already committed to interviewing qualified graduates.

More Features of the CPAM Consortium Include:

•           Enhances access to postsecondary education, both credit and noncredit, for Maryland residents

•           Collaboration with major industry leaders such as Lockheed Martin and organizations such as the Tech Council of Maryland

•           Enhances workforce development for a leading industry sector for Montgomery County and Maryland

•           Addresses a significant skills gap for a leading industry sector in the state and local economy (Currently, 20,000 cyber jobs are available but employers cannot find prepared Marylanders to fill these high-quality jobs)

•           Demonstrates the value of Maryland’s community colleges in building an educated and skilled workforce—responding to the needs of employers across industry sectors to match residents with skills for in-demand careers

“The $15 million in investments in Maryland announced today will help prepare local workers with the skills needed for in-demand careers and advance the role of community colleges as engines of economic growth,” said U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez. “Over the last four years, the U.S. Department of Labor has invested nearly $27 million in Maryland – part of a long-term commitment to ensure that workers have access to training for the specific skills employers need to stay competitive in the global economy.”

###

Montgomery College is a public, open admissions community college with campuses in Germantown, Rockville, and Takoma Park/Silver Spring, plus workforce development/continuing education centers and off-site programs throughout Montgomery County, Md. The College serves nearly 60,000 students a year, through both credit and noncredit programs, in more than 130 areas of study.

Tags: