May 15, 2018

 

 

America’s Promise Grant Helps City College Students

Grant-funded tuition assistance available for over 200 students in a three-year period

 

Contacts:

University Communications and Marketing, 657-2266

 

MSU BILLINGS NEWS SERVICES — The America’s Promise Grant for tuition assistance is helping students at City College at Montana State University Billings. Funding of nearly $52,000 was provided to 65 students studying at City College in the 2017-18 academic year in the areas of nursing, radiologic technology, information technology, and process plant technology.

The three-year grant will continue through December 2020 with a goal of at least 201 students served. The grant targets high-growth, high-demand, middle- to high-level occupations in advanced manufacturing, education services, financial service, healthcare, information technology, and IT-related industries.

City College aims to grow the number of students and programs eligible for funding beginning in the fall semester of 2018 and has a budget of $621,695 available for student expenses. Students may use funds for certificate and associate degrees and short-term training that yields industry recognized credentials.

The America’s Promise Grant offers individuals case management services, tuition assistance up to $2,500, and funds for licensure and certification fees. Individuals eligible for the grant funding must be 18 years of age or older, unemployed, underemployed, an incumbent worker, or a veteran or eligible spouse. This H1-B grant from the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration provides resources and funding to individuals who have barriers to education and employment. These barriers may include having low income, being a first-generation college student, low educational attainment, being underprepared for college-level courses, single parenthood, being disabled, homelessness, and previous incarceration, among other things.

City College is a partner in a consortium grant with the Northern Wyoming Community College District, which includes Sheridan College, Gillette College, Laramie County Community College, and Casper College. The grant’s awarding focused on the regional downturn of the energy industry and the need for training and re-training of workers in Montana and Wyoming.

City College students who have received the funding note the impact that it has had on their education. This spring, a student in the Practical Nursing Program said “The grant helped me to work less so I could concentrate on my studies. It helped with gas to go to Billings since I live two hours away. I also could buy extra supplies. I really appreciate the help I got from the grant.”

The grant also has allowed another student, who was part of the Radiologic Tech Program in the fall of 2017, to make a career change later in life. She shared “The America’s Promise Grant has been very helpful in off-setting some school expenses. The grant has been set up in such a way as to make it easy to apply for and easy to fulfill the requirements, which I greatly appreciate as a student.”

City College works closely with college faculty, BillingsWorks, and industry and community partners to identify potential students and education and employment pathways that will serve the workforce development needs of our regional area.

For more information on the America’s Promise Grant, please contact Lisa M. Skriner, director of workforce and resource development at City College, 247-3055 or lskriner@msubillings.edu.