Education Secretary Patrick Tutwiler holds a Massachusetts STEM Week sign as he announces $17 million in new Skills Capital grant funding, including $1 million to Westfield Technical Academy. With Tutwiler are superintendents of schools receiving awards, including Westfield Superintendent Stefan Czaporowski, fourth from left.
Reminder Publishing submitted photo
BOURNE — Westfield Superintendent Stefan Czaporowski drove down to Cape Cod on the morning of Oct. 22 to participate in the Healey-Driscoll administration’s announcement at Upper Cape Cod Tech of more than $17 million in Skills Capital Lab Modernization grants being awarded to 18 schools across Massachusetts, including $1 million to Westfield Technical Academy for auto collision and information technology upgrades.
Career technical education and training programs use Skills Capital grant funding to purchase and install equipment related to high-demand industries and occupations, such as advanced manufacturing, health care, information technology, construction and skilled trades, and life sciences. Announced during STEM Week, these grants modernize and upgrade equipment, ensuring that students and workers are prepared for the rapidly evolving demands of today’s job market through expanded career programs for young people and adults and increased capacity in workforce training programs.
“Our district has been fortunate to receive multiple Skills Capital grants over the last several years. These funds have helped to update equipment and to expand opportunities for our students,” said Czaporowski, who was invited to participate in the announcement in Bourne.
“I was very impressed with their facility, particularly their marine shop, where they work on boats and boat engines,” he said after the visit to Upper Cape Cod Regional Technical High School.
WTA Career Technical Education Director Peter Taloumis said $700,000 of the $1 million awarded to WTA will replace the 30-year-old spray booth in the collision technology shop with a state-of-the-art energy-efficient paint spray booth with integrated paint mixing room.
According to the auto collision tech department, headed by Alvin Brown, the program will also use the funds to adopt a refinishing curriculum suggested by ICAR, the Interconference of Automotive Repair, which better aligns with automobile manufacturer and industry requirements.
The newer spray paint technologies better reflect the paint thickness and applied atmospheric conditions, such as humidity, found in professional automotive and aviation paint shops.
The grant will also fund $300,000 in energy-efficient server equipment to support the information technology program’s Cisco Networking Academy, which department head Kevin Grimsley called a worldwide industry-standard curriculum that trains students to build and secure business-class computer networks.
New energy-saving computer displays will replace aging technology. Additionally, the department will buy modern computer peripherals to replace aging technology, robust network security devices, and “internet of things” equipment to support WTA’s award-winning IOT curriculum, Grimsley said.
Last June, Brady LePage, an information technology student at WTA, earned a first-place gold medal in the “Internet of Things: Smart Home” category at the SkillsUSA national competition in Atlanta, Georgia, the first national gold medal for Westfield Technical Academy at SkillsUSA.
Collision technology student Adrianna Vazquez also competed in auto refinishing at the national competition in June, and scored 11th in the nation in her field. Both students are now seniors at WTA.
“This investment aligns with Westfield Technical Academy’s continued commitment to greener technology solutions, with a focus on reducing energy consumption and promoting responsible technology usage. This upgrade not only boosts the information technology program’s technological capabilities, but also furthers its mission to create a sustainable, secure, and innovative learning environment,” Grimsley said.
The Skills Capital grants are part of the administration’s Workforce Skills Cabinet, which brings together members from the executive offices of Education, Labor and Workforce Development, Health and Human Services, and Housing and Economic Development for an economic growth agenda. The Cabinet is charged with creating and implementing a strategy to ensure that individuals can develop and continuously improve their skills and knowledge to meet the varying needs of Massachusetts employers.
“Today’s announced grant awards are infusing funds into local communities, like here in Bourne, to purchase and install equipment and renovate facilities, enabling more modern and engaging learning experiences for students,” said Education Secretary Patrick Tutwiler. “During STEM Week, the administration is continuing to lift up ways we are working to see that students and workers have access to high-quality education and training programs that meet the needs of in-demand careers throughout Massachusetts.”