Greater Lawrence Tech. Awarded $220k State Grant to Expand Advanced Manufacturing and Metal Fabrication Program

Gov. Baker Highlights School’s Excellence as Impetus for Expanded Technical Education Funding

ANDOVER – Superintendent John Lavoie is pleased to share that Greater Lawrence Technical School has been awarded a $220,000 Skills Capital Grant from the Baker-Polito Administration.

The grant was announced during a ceremony held at Peabody Veterans Memorial High School on Monday, Aug. 16, during which Gov. Charlie Baker handed out Skills Capital Grants to 47 awardees.

The high school will expand the advanced manufacturing shop and upgrade equipment in the metal fabrication and joining technologies lab, and thus better prepare its graduates for the workforce. The new equipment will help expand the school’s Career Technical Institute by increasing the number of students enrolled in afternoon and evening programs.

“The Baker-Polito Administration has been a strong supporter of Greater Lawrence Technical School, and of ensuring our graduates have all the skills and tools needed to become successful after they graduate,” Superintendent Lavoie said. “These grants make a significant difference in the education and lives of our students, and help prepare them for successful careers in their chosen field.”

Gov. Baker highlighted the District and Superintendent Lavoie in his remarks. He said he visited Greater Lawrence Technical School’s Advanced Manufacturing program in early 2020, where he saw the School’s multi-faceted approach: Career Technical Education in the day, programs for Lawrence High School students after school, and evening programs for adults.

“There were employers who were hovering over students, waiting for them to graduate, so they could hire them, and bring them into their workforce,” Gov. Baker said. “That was the impetus for filing a significantly expanded, three-shift Career Technical Initiative program statewide.”

“Your school, in particular, was one of the ones that really got the ball rolling,” Gov. Baker told Superintendent Lavoie.

Through its Skills Capital grants, the Baker-Polito Administration has worked to increase the number of students enrolled in programs where they can learn and train for occupations in high-demand careers.

“The Skills Capital Grants have helped give thousands of young people opportunities in high-demand jobs, and the grants have had a tremendous impact on students, schools and local businesses,” Gov. Baker said. “These significant investments made over the past six years in this program with our partners in the Legislature will help train students to adapt to the changing needs of our economy.”

Skills Capital grants are awarded to educational institutions that can showcase their partnerships with local businesses and whose curriculum and credentials seek to meet the demand of growing industries in the Commonwealth. More than 300 educational programs have received financial support from the Skills Capital grant initiative, Gov. Baker announced that the Workforce Skills Cabinet funding has now exceeded $100 million.

“Massachusetts is ranked as one of the top economies for innovation. When you think about innovation, you think about the problems that exist in the world, and the people who have the skills and knowhow to fix them,” Lt. Gov. Polito said. “To continue to be competitive, we need to invest in skills development, and in educational opportunities.”