MCC Receives $367,038 to Expand Robotics and Automation Training for Life Sciences Workforce
核心洞察
Middlesex Community College (搜索) received $367,038 from the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (搜索)'s Post Secondary Education and Training track to enhance its Pathmaker Robotics and Automation Program.
The funding will expand capacity and add higher-level training for employees and job seekers pursuing careers in medical device manufacturing and the broader life sciences industry.
The award is part of a $12.3 million MLSC Education and Workforce Development Grant Program supporting 68 awards across Massachusetts.
Middlesex Community College (搜索) (MCC) has received $367,038 from the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (搜索) (MLSC) to enhance its Pathmaker Robotics and Automation Program on the college's Bedford campus. The award, announced in July by the Healey-Driscoll administration and the MLSC, comes through the Post Secondary Education and Training track of the MLSC's Education and Workforce Development Grant Program, a $12.3 million initiative spanning four funding tracks.
"Thank you to MLSC for their extraordinary partnership over the past several years, as well as the Healey-Driscoll Administration for their continued support of MCC," said MCC President Phil Sisson. "This funding is crucial to expanding our premier workforce training opportunities. Combining comprehensive curriculum with practical experiences, we provide employees and job seekers with hands-on, real-world learning opportunities that prepare them for entry and advancement in in-demand and stable careers."
Building a Skilled Life Sciences Talent Pipeline
MCC's Pathmaker Robotics and Automation Program addresses a variety of skills, providing the basis for entry-level employment in medical device manufacturing facilities. The program supports workforce development training recruitment and serves as a resource for a proposed robotics and automation credit program within the college's STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) division.
The funding enables Middlesex to increase the capacity of the current program, allowing MCC to offer additional higher-level training to current employees and job seekers seeking to enter the life sciences industry, according to MCC Senior Director of Grant Development Daniel Sherman.
"This funding gives the program an appropriately outfitted and visible position in the building as it becomes the home for STEM programming at MCC," Sherman said. "We received this award due to the impact of the long-standing relationship MCC has developed with the MLSC, in developing, operating, and expanding our highly successful industry-informed training programs that continue to innovate in order to provide the highest quality training and workforce opportunities for our trainees."
Statewide Investment in Education and Workforce Development
The broader grant program will distribute a total of 68 awards serving 78,000 students and training 720 teachers from more than 400 public schools, colleges, and nonprofit organizations across the Commonwealth. The four funding tracks include Elementary and Secondary Education, Out-of-School Time, Post-secondary Education and Training, and "Gamechanger" matching grants.
"Our life sciences industry is one of the biggest reasons Massachusetts continues to lead in innovation and economic opportunity," said Governor Maura Healey. "These investments will prepare more students for high-demand careers, strengthen our workforce and ensure companies can continue growing and creating jobs right here in Massachusetts."
Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll added, "Our administration is committed to ensuring that students of all ages have access to the education and training needed to thrive in the life sciences. By supporting learning opportunities from kindergarten through post-secondary education, these investments will strengthen our workforce while expanding opportunity for communities in every corner of the state."
Long-Standing Commitment to the Life Sciences Ecosystem
Since the inception of the Life Sciences Initiative, the MLSC has invested more than $240 million through various programs supporting education and workforce training that strengthens the state's life sciences talent pipeline. These investments have supported more than 478 public schools, 30 nonprofit organizations, and 65 colleges and universities across all 14 Massachusetts counties and every Gateway City.
"The life sciences are foundational to Massachusetts' economy, and maintaining our leadership in this ecosystem depends on building a strong, skilled workforce," said Eric Paley, Economic Development Secretary and Co-Chair of the MLSC Board of Directors. "These investments strengthen the connection between education and industry, ensuring residents across the Commonwealth have the opportunities and resources they need to pursue rewarding careers while helping Massachusetts life sciences companies meet the workforce demands required to drive the next generation of groundbreaking discoveries."
MLSC President and CEO Kirk Taylor, M.D., emphasized the program's focus on equity and access. "Massachusetts maintains its leadership in the life sciences by investing early in the next generation of talent and ensuring that students have access to state-of-the-art facilities and industry-relevant curricula," Taylor said. "These investments also ensure that low-income, underrepresented, and non-traditional learners from every region of Massachusetts, whether located in our Gateway Cities or rural communities, have the skills and opportunities needed to enter and grow within the life sciences workforce."
The MLSC is awarding more than $7.3 million through the Post-secondary Education and Training track to 22 academic institutions and nonprofit organizations offering industry-aligned certificate and degree programs. This funding will support the purchase and installation of laboratory equipment, materials, supplies, technology, and facility improvements that strengthen workforce training programs and prepare students for high-demand careers in the life sciences.