Around WakeTech
Grant Funding Enhances Programs and Services at Wake Tech
RALEIGH, N.C. (August 4, 2010) - Wake Technical Community College is pleased to report grant funding awards of more than $2.1 million in the 2009-10 fiscal year. Such awards are often critical to educational institutions (and other non-profits) as they seek to expand programs and services beyond what regular operating budgets allow.
"Grants help us stay on the leading edge in instructional technologies and methods," says Dr. Stephen C. Scott, Wake Tech President, "and provide richer learning experiences for students. Grant funds give budget-conscious institutions room to develop the best new ideas and explore the most innovative initiatives."
Notable this year is a two-year, $74,000 grant for the Clean Transportation Education Project (CTEP). CTEP is a U. S. Department of Energy campaign to encourage clean transportation and provide training for clean vehicle maintenance and repair. Wake Tech is partnering with NC State University and others in a CTEP "Clean Cities Coalition" that will conduct regional workshops and offer webinars and other educational materials on alternative fuels and fuel economy.
A $250,000 grant from the North Carolina Community College System has enabled Wake Tech to provide training programs aimed at putting people to work. Governor Perdue's "12 in 6" initiative directs 2009 stimulus funds into job training in targeted areas. Based on regional employment patterns, Wake Tech identified medical office occupations, biomanufacturing, and other professions as the most promising for employment. The training is condensed to get unemployed workers back into the job market quickly.
Other grant-funded programs at Wake Tech help students earn credentials in construction trades while completing a GED; recruit, train, and support Spanish-speaking students in health sciences professions; provide smoking cessation workshops for students and staff; establish additional clinical training sites for nursing students; help faculty use technology more effectively; establish a vocational teaching laboratory to provide horticultural therapy for developmentally disabled students; and teach businesses how to apply "green" technologies in their operations.
