GRCC secures $6 million federal grant for health care worker training

GRAND RAPIDS — A $6 million federal grant will pay for Grand Rapids Community College to train more health care workers.

Under the four-year funding from the U.S. Labor Department’s America’s Promise grant competition, GRCC will work with care providers locally to upgrade a program to train medical assistants and new programs for nursing assistants and sterile processing technicians.

Partners involved in the initiative will provide another $1.5 million for tuition-free training, and federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act funds will back customized, on-the-job and training for current workers and registered apprenticeships in health care.

“West Michigan’s health care employers have been struggling to fill positions ranging from entry-level to highly skilled jobs,” said Bill Pink, dean and vice president of GRCC’s School of Workforce Development. “Community-wide collaboration will be vital to addressing these talent needs.”

Care providers supporting the initiative include Cherry Health, Mercy Health, Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital, Clark Retirement Community, Holland Home, Porter Hills, and Sunset Manor and Villages.

The grant will train people for high-demand fields in health care. Across West Michigan, jobs for medical assistants are projected to grow 15.4 percent from 2012 to 2022, according to the annual HealthCheck report issued by Grand Valley State University’s Seidman College of Business.

The GRCC grant is one of two awarded in Michigan and 23 provided to regional partnerships in 28 states totaling $111 million.

Other partners involved in the coalition include a number of community and economic development organizations:

· West Michigan Works!
· Montcalm Community College
· Muskegon Community College
· The Right Place Inc.
· Lakeshore Advantage
· Muskegon Area First
· Goodwill of Greater Grand Rapids
· Grand Rapids Urban League
· West Michigan Center for Arts and Technology
· Hispanic Center of West Michigan