By Bob Katzen

The Senate 35-0 approved and sent to the House a bill expanding the Community College Training Incentive Program. According to the state’s website, the program “encourages public community college training opportunities that promote workforce development, minimize the shortage of skilled workers and raise economic opportunity. Grants are awarded through this program to expand vocationally oriented course offerings and develop partnerships with Massachusetts employers.”

Under current law the program is only available to “not-for-credit students.” The bill would expand the program to allow “for credit students” to take advantage of the program.

“While the commonwealth laudably helps not-for-credit students obtain job-related skills, no sound policy rationale exists for making a course for a biotechnology technician degree ineligible for a training incentive grant,” said bill sponsor Sen. Eileen Donoghue (D-Lowell). “Given the need to increase our talent pipeline, my legislation improves the status quo by expanding the program to include for-credit courses so that community colleges can more effectively educate our future workforce.”