State Representative Antonio F.D. Cabral (D-New Bedford) and the Greater New Bedford Workforce Investment Board (GNBWIB) announced that the Board has received a STEM Career Vocational Technical Education (CVTE) grant of $12,000 from the MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (ESE).

According to ESE, this STEM CVTE grant will allow the Board to give students, who are currently underrepresented in STEM fields, greater access to guided exploration of STEM careers and immersive, hands-on experiences.

“I am pleased to note that we worked collaboratively with both Greater New Bedford and Old Colony Vocational Technical High Schools to develop a proposal to meet each of their customized needs,” said James D. Oliveira, Executive Director and CEO of GNBWIB. “Science, Technology, Engineering and Math proficiency in high school opens up a graduate’s world to higher paying job opportunities with STEM employers or further study in a post-secondary setting.”

The CVTE program will be administered by GNBWIB and supported by its current school to career ESE initiative, Connecting Activities. Staff from Bristol Community College and the Chamber of Commerce will provide technical assistance to each of the voc-tech programs in addition to providing current services to over 250 New Bedford and Dartmouth high school students.

“With this grant, GNBWIB will be able to create stronger partnerships with our region’s voc-tech schools, higher education institutions and business groups to inspire more students, who may have never envisioned themselves as computer scientists or engineers, to pursue STEM occupations,” explained Rep. Cabral.

GNBWIB was one of the sixteen workforce development boards to receive a STEM CVTE grant, in recognition of the Board’s commitment to addressing the needs of student populations with less access to information about STEM fields through their programming.

--Rep. Cabral's Office

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