Gov. Maura Healey on Wednesday introduced her first price range because the state’s chief govt will embrace hundreds of thousands aimed toward sending Massachusetts adults again to varsity free of charge.
“Workforce shortages have impacted nearly all sectors of our economy, but we have an incredible opportunity before us to train the next generation of workers and increase opportunities for all,” Healey mentioned in a launch forward of a Wednesday morning occasion at Bunker Hill Community College, the place she formally unveiled the funding for a program she’s calling MassReconnect.
“The MassReconnect program, as well as the other investments in education and workforce development that we call for in our budget, will be transformative for hundreds of thousands of our residents. More students than ever before will be able to advance or complete their educations and set themselves up for a successful career in in-demand industries like health care, engineering, advanced manufacturing and tech,” Healey mentioned.
At a price ticket of $20 million, this system is a drop within the moderately massive about $40.5 billion state price range bucket, nonetheless that cash would ostensibly cowl the price of education for adults 25 and older who don’t have already got a level or business certificates and want to get one.
According to figures supplied by Healey’s workplace, practically 700,000 Massachusetts residents had some faculty credit score however no diploma in 2020, the mass of whom are over the age of 25.
“The MassReconnect Program will be a gamechanger for community colleges and hundreds of thousands of Massachusetts residents. I’m grateful to Governor Healey and Lieutenant Governor Driscoll for making these historic investments in our Commonwealth’s future,” Pam Eddinger, the president of Bunker Hill Community College, mentioned in a launch.
The governor’s fiscal 2024 spending plan would additionally put aside $46.9 million for the Early College and Innovation Pathways applications, a rise of $14.4 million over this 12 months’s price range. Healey’s workplace mentioned that funding supplies over 18,000 college students with the chance to earn 12 faculty credit earlier than they graduate highschool and enroll greater than 10,000 college students in STEM coursework.
The remainder of Healey’s price range is due out later at this time, when she is going to file invoice H.1 with the House.
It is unclear if her schooling plan will survive legislative debate as issued.
Senate President Karen Spilka, after Healey’s election and the announcement of her plan to begin the MassReconnect program, mentioned she helps the thought, although questioned the necessity to restrict the age to these over 25.
Source: www.bostonherald.com”