Montgomery College Awarded Two Implementation Grant Awards for EARN Maryland Workforce Training Initiative

Montgomery College has been awarded two of 28 statewide Implementation grants for collaborative worker training programs in various industries across the state by the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (DLLR).

One grant is for BIOTrain, a Montgomery County Biotechnology Training Partnership,and the other is for MOVE, the Maryland Mid-Western Transportation and Logistics Sector Partnership. Both initiatives are being implemented as part of the Employment and Advancement Right Now (EARN) grant program designed by the State of Maryland to foster industry-driven sector partnerships to increase the quality and quantity of employment by improving workforce training in Maryland.

“Montgomery College is deeply committed to empowering students to change their lives and to enrich the life of our community by working with industry partners to create deeply relevant educational programs resulting in job creation and economic development for our region,” said Dr. DeRionne P. Pollard, Montgomery College president. “The College stands ready to train the next generation of highly skilled workers in the biotechnology and transportation industries. And we especially want to thank the DLLR for supporting highereducation to help build Maryland’s workforce.”

The EARN BIOTrain Partnership award of $120,280 allows the implementation of the plan formulated by the BIOTrain team of industry, government and training partners. As the lead applicant, Montgomery College will orchestrate the development of training modules by BIOTrain industry and academic leaders. The new training initiatives will close skills gaps to enable entry into the industry and advancement for those already in the industry. In addition, BIOTrain will work with Maryland One Stop Career Centers to create career paths for the unemployed and underemployed through connections with recruiters (Aerotek Scientific), employers, and training partners. The BIOTrain partnership includes Quality Biological, Athena ES, Vaxin Inc., MaxCyte Inc., Aerotek Scientific, EMMES Corporation, Amarex Clinical Trials, BioReliance, the Montgomery County Department of Economic Development and the MdBio Foundation.

The Montgomery College Biotechnology Program trains entry level technical workers with a hands-on, lab based approach that stresses technical excellence and ability to function in a business environment. The partnership and the new Workforce Training Plan will bring new dimensions to biotechnology training in Maryland.

The College’s MOVE initiative, which stands for “Moving Operators; Valuing Employers,” is a one-of-a-kind partnership of more than 30 education, government, community and transportation entities including the College’s main partner, Hagerstown Community College. Montgomery College’s Transportation Safety Institute in Workforce Development & Continuing Education led the MOVE grant proposal. A total of $256,000 will be awarded in grant funds for the partnership that will run June 1, 2014 to June 30, 2016.

The geographic region that stretches from Montgomery College to Hagerstown Community College is now populated by almost 1.4 million people and innumerable businesses that serve this growing population. Furthermore, the region has experienced explosive growth in transit and transportation-trucking. At the same time, the transportation and logistics industry faces a critical shortage of skilled and seasoned employees exacerbated by the expected retirement of thousands of workers over the next five to 10 years. 

Montgomery College and Hagerstown Community College will use EARN grant funds to significantly increase their offerings of transit, transportation and logistics programs, primarily focusing on Commercial Truck Driver Licensing (CDL-A and CDL-B) that grow the number of licensed and certified workers available for busing, trucking and logistics employers. The two colleges will provide industry-defined hard skills, soft skills and transportation job readiness programs.

The implementation includes strategically working through community partners to create the training and employment outcomes. The College’s employment and industry partners relative to the grant include Montgomery County Ride-On, Montgomery County Public Schools, the Department of Transportation, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority and the Maryland Motor Truck Association. The community partners include the Housing Opportunities Commission (HOC), Montgomery Works (WIB) and Career Catchers.

“There is no progress without a job. By awarding the state-funded Implementation Grants to these selected strategic partnerships, we’re moving our state forward and helping more Marylanders get the skills they need to qualify for Maryland’s most in-demand jobs. Working together, we’re ensuring that these EARN Implementation Grants will provide industry-specific, state-of-the-art training for high-demand occupations,” Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley said.

The average Implementation Grant award amount is $179,302.

About the DLLR

The Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation protects and empowers Marylanders by safeguarding workers, protecting consumers, providing a safety net and cultivating a thriving workforce that can meet the demands of Maryland’s dynamic economy. For updates and information, follow DLLR on Twitter (@MD_DLLR) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/DLLR.Maryland).

About Montgomery College

Montgomery College is a public, open admissions community college with campuses in Germantown, Rockville, and Takoma Park/Silver Spring, plus workforce development and 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.

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