Grants for equipment, tuition reimbursement boost program at FCCTC
Dec. 17, 2009
Chambersburg, PA – HACC, Central Pennsylvania’s Community College, has received a total of $362,800 in state and federal grants for its Mechatronics program at the Franklin County Career and Technology Center.
The funds, including a $200,000 technical college grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) and a $62,000 federal Perkins grant, will be used to equip new classes and to purchase additional training equipment and safety equipment for the Mechatronics program delivered through HACC’s Gettysburg Campus at the FCCTC.
“HACC established the Mechatronics program in Franklin County at the request of our industry partners,” said HACC President Edna V. Baehre, Ph.D. “Receiving these funds will help HACC, the region’s premier leader in educational and workforce development, to educate and train students to fill the need for skilled workers in this technical field that combines mechanical systems and electronic controls.”
“We think there is great opportunity for growth in Franklin County and there is certainly a need for skilled technical workers in industry,” said Jennifer Weaver, vice president of HACC’s Gettysburg Campus. She noted that a number of Franklin County employers support the program, including Target Distribution, JLG Industries, Manitowoc Company Crane, Tyco Electronics Corporation, Letterkenny Army Depot and Volvo Construction.
HACC launched its Mechatronics program at FCCTC nearly a year ago with a $250,000 technical college grant from the PDE. Second-year students enrolled in the program are eligible for partial tuition reimbursement through an additional $100,800 grant from the PDE. This reimbursement is only for students who enrolled in the FCCTC program in the spring or summer 2009 semesters.
New classes that will be offered in the spring semester include sensor technology, robotics and fundamentals of programmable logic controllers (PLC). Students who complete HACC’s associate degree program have a pathway toward a bachelor’s degree in professional studies with a concentration in Technical Management being developed at Shippensburg University.
This added funding has allowed HACC to add several new programs at the FCCTC for the spring semester, including in-demand jobs in heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) and electrical technology. HACC classes are scheduled during the late afternoon and evening to accommodate the students who want to continue their education after work hours.
For more information about HACC’s programs at the FCCTC or to register for a class, contact Evelyn Weaver, HACC’s Franklin County coordinator, at (717) 385-2821 or esweaver@hacc.edu.
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