AACC Will Use Federal Grant to Develop Job Training Program

The continues to grow along with enrollment numbers, as schools offer more high-quality programs to better prepare students for the workforce.

(AACC) competed with more than 400 schools to receive a $19.7 million federal grant to provide training for high-demand jobs in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields.

on Wednesday and discussed the impact the grant will have on students.

“We in this country need to encourage our young people to pursue STEM careers,” Secretary Solis said in a release, calling these jobs a key to economic growth and moving the country forward.

AACC will lead the National STEM Consortium (NSC) of 10 colleges in nine states. The consortium will develop one-year certificate programs in five industries:

• Composite materials technology
• Electric vehicle technology
• Environmental technology
• Mechatronics (a multidisciplinary field of engineering ranging from electronic engineering to computer and software engineering)
• Cyber technology 

One of the speakers at a press conference Wednesday was , a graduate of AACC's cyber technology program who is now a systems engineer. Clark recently received attention when she was as a shining example of what students can accomplish with education.

According to a release, AACC will help develop certificate programs for cyber technology and mechatronics. The college expects the first group of students to start the new certificate programs in September 2012.

AACC President Martha A. Smith said in a release that this grant represents a unique partnership.

“This is exactly how it is supposed to work,” she said in a prepared statement. “This grant is unprecedented in my career in the size and scope of grant, the confidence it shows in community colleges and the comprehensive nature of partnership–government at all levels, industry and number of community colleges.”

Other participating NSC colleges are Clover Park Technical College in Washington; College of Lake County in Illinois; Cuyahoga Community College in Ohio; Florida State College at Jacksonville; Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana; Macomb Community College in Michigan; Northwest Arkansas Community College; Roane State Community College in Tennessee; and South Seattle Community College in Washington.