Flathead Valley Community College landed two federal grants worth upward of $3.6 million to develop and expand its job-training programs.
The funding is part of the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) Community College and Career Training initiative, which Montana Sen. Max Baucus helped pass in 2009.
The first grant, totaling about $3 million, will help the school respond to needs of local employers in the manufacturing industry, many of which have had a hard time filling jobs.
“The recent emergence of our local manufacturing industry has left the public workforce and our college little time to respond to the growing workforce demand,” said Pete Wade, director of career and technical education at FVCC.
Employer partners in the project include Applied Materials, Zinc-Air, Plum Creek Timber Company, Sonju Industrial and Nomad Global Communications, among others.
The money will also help establish a new entrepreneurship center on campus to encourage growth of new small manufacturers in Northwest Montana.
The second grant, totaling about $650,000, will help create remote laboratory experiences for FVCC’s allied health programs and enable students to conduct virtual science experiments.
“We greatly appreciate Sen. Baucus’ efforts in making these funds available to all community colleges, but especially to help Montana students and employers,” FVCC President Jane Karas said.