Holyoke Community College (HCC) in Massachusetts has secured a $35,000 state grant to establish a hotel training lab at its MGM Culinary Arts Institute. The lab will be set up like a hotel reception area with a front desk and adjoining guest room and equipped with the latest technology. It will be used for non-credit workforce training programs as well as credit-based associate degree and certificate programs in hospitality management.
“Hospitality is a growing industry in our region,” said Jeff Hayden, HCC vice president of business and community services. “The hotel lab will give students the ability to learn in a model hotel room and reception lobby, gain knowledge about key card access systems, and understand point-of-sale technology. This is the kind of experiential training employers have been asking for.”
Elsewhere in Massachusetts, Quinsigamond Community College’s Center for Workforce Development and Continuing Education has received a $143,000 grant to help area small businesses. The college will develop a series of workshops that focus on professional skills, such as listening, collaborating with others, presenting ideas and communicating with team members.
“These skills are not only highly valued in today’s marketplace, they are necessary if the business and the individual are to succeed,” said Kathleen Manning, dean of the college’s Center for Workforce Development and Continuing Education.
QCC’s grant is part of $2.98 million in Small Business Direct Access Program grants awarded to qualified training organizations by the Commonwealth Corporation, a state agency that fosters partnerships between industry, education and workforce organizations.
Alabama
Wallace Community College’s (WCC) developmental math department will use a $700 donation from Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL) to purchase new software and hardware. The lab provides math tutorial and testing services for the college’s community.
Hawaii
Students at the seven community colleges in the University of Hawaii system will benefit from a $500,000 contribution from the Alaka‘ina Foundation. The funding establishes the Alaka‘ina Foundation UH Community College Technical Education Scholarship for undergraduates pursuing an associate degree or certificate.
Maryland
Hagerstown Community College received $900 donations from The Antietam Detachment #113 of the Marine Corp League and the Potomac Valley Old Guy Car Club to help student veterans. The money will help to buy textbooks for these student.
New York
The City University of New York (CUNY) will use a $1 million grant to support high-achieving, low-income community college graduates in their journey to earn a baccalaureate. The three-year grant comes from the BNY Mellon Foundation.
The grant specifically targets juniors and seniors who are on track to earn baccalaureates in either a STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) or finance-related field at a CUNY senior college. Those students must have completed CUNY’s Accelerated Study in Associate Programs.
Pennsylvania
Northampton Community College (NCC) can establish a resource center at the college’s Fowler Family Southside Center thanks to a $30,000 grant from the R.K. Laros Foundation, Inc. NCC’s Laros Foundation Resource Center will be a first point of contact where prospective and current students and visitors can learn about the college’s diverse educational offerings, career assessment tools and financial aid resources.
The center will be staffed by success navigators as part of the college’s newly launched Student Success GPS program, which helps students identify strengths and interests to help map educational pathways. More than 500 community members and students are expected to take advantage of the center’s offerings each year.
