Wednesday, September 19, 2012

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Jeff Bingaman, Tom Udall and U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján announced that Clovis Community College (CCC) will receive a $2.5 million grant from Department of Labor’s Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) program to develop high-quality programs to meet rural New Mexico’s growing health care industry.

CCC will use the funding for its Allied Health Expansion project to develop accredited Nursing, Physical Therapist Assistant and Health Information Technology programs, fields that are in high-demand by students and the industry. It aims to provide additional training opportunities to Trade Adjustment Assistance eligible workers, unemployed workers, dislocated workers and low-wage incumbent workers.

“Job opportunities in the health care sector will grow in the coming years. This grant funding allows Clovis Community College to prepare New Mexicans for those very good jobs, while helping meet an important need in the state,” Bingaman said.

“In rural New Mexico, finding jobs and accessing quality healthcare continues to be a challenge,” said Udall. “These federal dollars will help create well-paying jobs by offering students the opportunity to gain the skills necessary to be competitive candidates in this essential industry.”

“In order to help people get back to work and create new opportunities for younger workers it is vital that the training they receive matches the needs of employers in high-demand fields,” Luján said. “This federal investment in Clovis Community College will enable it to provide greater opportunities for its students in an expanding health care sector that will be in need of qualified workers to fill growing job openings.”

“Clovis Community College is honored to receive the TAACCCT grant,” said President Dr. Becky Rowley. “We have great plans for building new programs to serve our community, and we look forward to working with our students in new ways. We are grateful to the Department of Labor for the trust placed in us to accomplish our goals with this grant.”

With TAACCCT resources, eligible higher education institutions will expand their capacity to provide quality education and training services to individuals seeking to improve their knowledge and skills, enabling them to obtain quality employment.  The program provides at least $2.5 million for every state.

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