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Nashoba Valley Technical High School received $500,000 in the latest round of Skills Capital Grants administered by Gov. Charlie Baker’s administration.
Nashoba Tech is one of 33 educational institutions to receive a piece of the $10.9 million distributed, bringing the total amount of grant money that Baker has distributed to more than $48 million.
Skills Capital Grants are designed to help high schools, colleges and other educational institutions invest in the most up-to-date training equipment to give students an advantage when they continue in their chosen fields or areas of study. The grants cover a broad array of fields, from construction and engineering to health care and hospitality.
According to Nashoba Tech Superintendent Dr. Denise Pigeon and Director of Curriculum Gabriella White, the $500,000 grant will help transform spaces for the school’s Health Assisting and Dental Assisting programs into a mock emergency room, long-term care rooms, dental offices and a pharmacy. She said the school will also purchase an adult-patient simulator for students to practice clinical nursing skills, medical charting software, updated EKG machines, a Pyxis MedStation training unit and an Anatomage table for students enrolled in the Early College Anatomy and Physiology course through Middlesex Community College.
“The equipment purchased by high schools and college over the past three years through Skills Capital Grants has directly impacted the educational experience for thousands of Massachusetts students to better prepare them for the workforce,” Baker said. “This program has had a positive impact on students in the commonwealth, and we look forward to working with the Legislature to include $75 million worth of funding for Skills Capital Grants as part of the Economic Development bill we filed in the spring.”
Since Baker took office, Nashoba Tech has received a total of $1.5 million in Skills Capital Grants, using the money to upgrade its Advanced Manufacturing program and Engineering Academy.
