Bucks County Community College’s Center of Workforce Development has been awarded a $420,000 Coronavirus Relief Fund grant to train county residents who are unemployed as a result of the global pandemic.
The County of Bucks awarded the grant to the college, as approved by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Training is free for Bucks County residents who have been economically affected by COVID-19.
“The COVID crisis has been such a burden on residents, families and the workforce of Bucks County,” said Bucks County Commissioner Gene DiGirolamo. “We are so grateful for the ability to make these funds available for such a worthwhile cause.”
DiGirolamo added that the “free job training in up-and-coming fields can ensure bright futures and financial security, and that is a silver lining in which we can all take great pride.”
Fellow Commissioner Bob Harvie agreed.
“Even before the pandemic, our economy was facing a shortage of skilled workers,” he said. “This grant will allow BCCC to help those who want to help themselves and their families by expanding their skills. This program is a critical step to our recovery.”
The grant allows the college’s Center for Workforce Development to offer four “Speed to Skill” programs in metalwork training, electro-mechanical industrial maintenance training, Microsoft Office technology and customer service specialist support certification, and the new bookkeeping with QuickBooks certification.
Training will take place online and in a hybrid format, involving both online and in-person hands-on instruction. All “Speed to Skill” programs include workplace employability skill training. Additionally, students will work one-on-one with a career coach and recruiter for help with their resume, interviewing and job search.
Interested applicants should go to bucks.edu/wfd where they will find a link to each of the programs and a “sign up for more information” button. There is no deadline to apply as the programs will be running at different start times throughout the remainder of the year.
For more information, visit bucks.edu/wfd or contact Susan Herring, executive director, Center for Workforce Development, at 215-968-8364 or susan.herring@bucks.edu.
