Larsen Congratulates Bellingham Technical College on $1.85 Million Federal Grant
For Immediate Release
Contact: Amanda Mahnke
(202) 225-2605
March 11, 2008
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Representative Rick Larsen congratulated Bellingham Technical College on today’s announcement of a $1.85 million federal grant to fund an initiative to expand training opportunities for workers in the advanced manufacturing industry.
“This was a highly competitive grant process, and I congratulate Bellingham Technical College on their success,” said Larsen. “This federal funding will help Bellingham Technical College expand their programs to train workers for family-wage jobs in our region.”
The Department of Labor announced the grant today, which will provide funds to train workers in design, production, process development, operations, quality assurance, maintenance, installation and repair of mechanical equipment. The project will enhance math and science learning, expand distance learning, upgrade equipment, hire new college faculty, and connect high school, adult and English as a Second Language (ESL) students with the program. Recruitment efforts will reach out to rural and low-income populations.
The Bellingham Technical College program will also help train workers in the marine trades industry across the 2nd Congressional District, which faces an aging workforce and employers in need of highly-skilled workers.
Larsen supported passage of the Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill for fiscal year 2008 which included funding for this grant program. Also included in that bill was $215,000 Larsen helped secure to help Bellingham Technical College’s Alternative Energy and Process Technology Workforce Development Project educate more students, acquire hands-on teaching tools and modernize its curriculum.
