U.S Department of Labor Awards $1.6 Million Strengthening Community Colleges Grant to Montgomery College to Support Students Underrepresented in IT Fields

Montgomery College is one of 13 colleges to be awarded funding from the U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration (DOLETA)'s $45 million Strengthening Community Colleges (SCC2) Training Grant Program. This second round of SCC grant funding expands career and technical education programs and the capacity of community colleges to help marginalized and underrepresented populations earn credentials and secure high-wage, in-demand jobs. Through the SCC2 program, colleges can improve their ability to address equity gaps and meet employers’ and employees’ skills development needs through career pathways training in specific industry sectors. 

The Montgomery College (MC) Tech Metro Area Pathways (TechMAP) Program, which aims to serve 1,000 students over a four-year funding period, will be fully funded by the SSC2 grant to provide career pathways training in Information Technology (IT). The MC TechMAP Program will improve the retention, completion, and employment rates of individuals historically underrepresented in IT, including people of color, women, and disconnected youth/young adults. Additionally, individuals who are un- or underemployed, including as a result of COVID-19-related layoffs, will be invited to apply to upskill and/or reskill. To this end, the MC TechMAP Program will increase personalized navigation to help students understand their career options, enroll in a program of study and connect to the wrap around supports needed to stay on track for completion. The navigators will move with students as they progress from non-credit to for-credit degrees or as they lattice together various credentials.  

The system of navigation is designed to be scalable to other programs or other community colleges and to interface with the workforce system and employers to help participants find on-the-job training and careers. TechMAP is expected to increase retention and completion rates for underrepresented students, leading to higher numbers of participants who earn professional credentials and who find quality work with higher wages. MC will partner with workforce development system partners, employer partners, and social resource partners to support the educational, employment, and wraparound service needs of participants.  

“The Strengthening Community Colleges award is the fourth DOLETA grant to MC in seven years. We are grateful that the U.S. Department of Labor continues to support Montgomery College in its mission to empower our students to change their lives and enrich the life of our community,” said Dr. Jermaine F. Williams, president of Montgomery College. “The TechMAP Program will help our learners who are historically underrepresented in IT complete certificate or degree programs and navigate a pathway to a career in the IT sector. Additionally, by partnering with industry professionals, employer partners, and support organizations, we can continue to close the equity gap for students who traditionally have been underrepresented in postsecondary education and employment.”  

The MC TechMAP Program is part of Montgomery College’s Information Technology Institute within the Workforce Development and Continuing Education unit in the Academic Affairs division. For more information regarding TechMAP, please contact Dean Steve Greenfield at Steve.Greenfield@montgomerycollege.edu or Senior Program Director Eunice Melo at Eunice.Melo@montgomerycollege.edu.