Future site of Westerly Higher Education and Job Skills Center celebrated

WESTERLY – Gov. Gina M. Raimondo on Thursday touted a new center here designed to train workers in maritime pipefitting, sheet metal and carpentry work.
Created through a partnership that includes the Community College of Rhode Island and local business leaders, the future site of the Westerly Higher Education and Job Skills Center will house 17 classrooms and accommodate up to 1,000 students a year. Electric Boat is working closely with CCRI to develop the curriculum.
Senate Minority Leader Dennis L. Algiere, state Rep. Samuel A. Azzinaro, CCRI President Meghan Hughes, and cabinet directors as well as members of the Westerly community, joined Raimondo in celebrating the evolution of the budding facility.
“Our priority must be expanding opportunities for Rhode Islanders to build the skills they need to get good-paying jobs,” Raimondo said. “CCRI working with community leaders, state agencies and companies like Electric Boat is exactly what we need to jumpstart our economy. I am grateful to the Westerly community for coming together to provide this resource.”
The project received a brownfields grant of $712,000 from the R.I. Department of Environmental Management. A ceremonial check presentation took place at the event.
“I am pleased to see that the years of work that have gone into this are coming to fruition,” Algiere said.
“One of our top priorities in this state has been to find a way for people to learn the skills they need to find jobs in specialized industries. This new campus and program will give high school students who are not interested in a four-year college education an avenue to become trained in high-skill, high-paying jobs at companies like Electric Boat. The community is fortunate to have [philanthropist] Charles Royce as a major contributor to this project,” he said.
Electric Boat Vice President of Human Resources and Administration Maura Dunn said the program “enables Electric Boat to invest in the future talent of the company, while significantly enhancing the career potential of its participants and contributing to the economic growth of Rhode Island.”

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