Lakeland Community College receives U.S. Department of Labor grant for equity in tech
Four community colleges in Northeast Ohio, including Lakeland Community College, have received a total of $5 million in grant funding from the U.S. Department of Labor to build equitable conditions for underrepresented groups in information technology and computer science education.
Recently, Lakeland Community College was awarded a $720,000 grant by the U.S. Department of Labor to increase economic and educational opportunities for people in underrepresented communities in the region. The money in the grant is part of a larger $5 million investment the Department of Labor is making in the Northeast Ohio area.
The entire $5 million grant was awarded to a group of four community colleges in the Northeast Ohio region including Stark State College, Cuyahoga County Community College, and Lorain County Community College, in addition to Lakeland. The four schools will use the money to build equitable conditions for underrepresented groups, including women, in technology fields.
In an article on Lakeland Community College’s website, executive vice president and provost Dr. Laura Barnard was quoted on the grant award, saying, “We are grateful for the investment made in Northeast Ohio and in our institution. As we look at the labor market, we recognize that the region is changing. It is becoming more competitive, inclusive and technology based. This grant will allow us to implement programming specifically designed to meet the needs of Northeast Ohio employers, while also ensuring all individuals have access to the education and training needed to fill these good-paying, high demand jobs in our area.”
Lakeland has plans to reach targeted outcomes that will increase the placement and completion rates of female and underrepresented students in computer science and information technology programs. These plans include using evidence based strategies like work-based learning opportunities, wraparound services, career coaching, and student tracking.
The four schools will also work together to accelerate time to completion for college and high school students by expanding dual enrollment opportunities in the information technology pathways at each of the institutions as well as at high schools in the region.
More information about Lakeland Community College can be found at the school’s website.