New Educational Grant - Perkins V
One of the most difficult questions in running any organization is always “how will we get the necessary finances to fund it?” Higher education institutions like Wabash Valley College are fortunate to receive government funding in various capacities. Any college that wants to grow, however, cannot simply maintain the status quo. If the leaders of an institution are accomplishing their mission, they should be looking for and acquiring new means of funding regularly. That is exactly what the leaders of the IECC community have accomplished with the assurance of the new Perkins V Grant. Perkins V (the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act) is a federal commitment to Career & Technical Education (CTE). No other piece of legislation has been as significant in supporting CTE programs. According to the ‘Illinois Community College Board’ website, “Perkins V affords states and local communities the opportunity to implement a vision for CTE that uniquely supports the range of educational needs of students — exploration through career preparation — and balances those student needs with the current and emerging needs of the economy.”There are special emphases on local flexibility, stakeholder engagement, innovation, equity, and alignment with partnering workforce and education programs within the provisions of the Act. Perkins V provides nearly 1.3 billion (distributed across the US) annually to CTE programs. The bread-and-butter of our local community college is truly these CTE programs. Nursing, PTA, Advanced Manufacturing, Diesel Mechanics, Gunsmithing, CNA certification, and more all rely on funding from this grant in various capacities. The funds not only assist in apparent program costs, but can be used at times to innovate technological capabilities, assist in travel costs for certain programs, ensure hiring practices are being utilized most effectively, and much more. The new Perkins Coordinator hired by IECC has expressed a great deal of excitement in the limitless opportunities and possibilities this new reformation of the previous Perkins Act can provide. Students and faculty can expect meaningful changes to online learning forums, teaching and classroom technologies, apprenticeship opportunities, approaches to equity, and more innovations to be rolled out soon. People at WVC are really excited about the doors being opened with this new resource!
4 / View from the Valley
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