POCAHONTAS —Black River Technical College (BRTC) was recently awarded roughly $1.7 million through the Department of Labor (DOL) Strengthening Community College Training Grant programs.
The grant spans four years and will fund a project entitled “Allied Health Equitable Recruitment and Retention Project.” The grant will be used to address higher education gaps for minority students, particularly in the healthcare industry sector, focusing on recruitment and retention for the high-demand career and technical center programs of nursing assistant, phlebotomy, and EMT.
“The DOL grant is for minorities in general, but since the largest minority population in BRTC's service area is Marshallese, there is an emphasis on that population,” said Executive Director of Institutional Effectiveness Sissy Gray. “Specifically, the DOL grant will provide wraparound student support to high school students enrolling in BRTC's healthcare CTC program, phlebotomy, CNA, and EMT. These students will have access to transportation to and from their high schools through mini-buses that BRTC will purchase with grant funds. They will also receive meal vouchers for use at the BRTC Grill.”
In terms of academic support, these students will have access to enhanced support services such as translation services, mentoring by minority mentors, and internship opportunities. These services will be offered through a partnership with the Marshallese Educational Initiative (MEI) out of Northwest Arkansas. Likewise, the grant will fund the purchase of a mobile enrollment unit that will be used to enroll students in these and other programs at their high schools and other community locations. Finally, the grant will fund community block parties to assist in breaking down barriers between BRTC and local minority populations.
BRTC was one of two Arkansas colleges to receive the DOL grant.
According to a DOL press release, the grant was part of the $65 million in grants distributed to 16 colleges in 14 states to expand their capacity to provide training to meet the skill development needs of employers and help students obtain good jobs.
Administered by the department’s Employment and Training Administration, the fourth round of Strengthening Community Colleges Training Grants will support individual community colleges, as well as consortia of colleges, to prepare students for jobs that pay family-sustaining wages and offer career development opportunities based on the Good Jobs Principles developed by the departments of Labor and Commerce in 2022. Grantees will work with industry stakeholders to identify the workforce needs of multiple employers within a selected industry in the labor market area.
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