Six Kentucky community colleges will share in $10 million in federal grant money to increase online learning programs for the computer and medical fields. The grants are part of the TAACCCT (Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training) program, which is awarding more than $450 million in grants overall.
Somerset Community College is among the schools receiving funds. Ivy Tech College in Indiana was also awarded $2.5 million dollars in grant money to pay for its new computing and informatics program.
Labor Secretary Thomas Perez says community colleges play an important role in the U.S. economy, calling them the “secret sauce”.
“What this really is, this is kind of like how Dwight Eisenhower built the highway infrastructure in the 50s. We’re building the new infrastructure of adult training and education in the 21st century,” said Perez.
Perez joined Education Secretary Arne Duncan and Vice President Joe Biden in an announcement ceremony Monday at the White House.
“Four year schools are good, they’re great, we need them. And graduate schools are incredibly important. But you’re [community colleges] the most adaptive, in order to be able to do what we need to do to make higher education more affordable and accessible,” said Biden.