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Photo: Norfolk County Agricultural High School, Walpole Massachusetts by John Phelan via Wikimedia Commons.
Norfolk County Agricultural High School in Walpole will receive a $3.5 million state grant - the largest in the school's history, as part of the Healey-Driscoll Administration's effort to meet the growing demand statewide for hands-on career technical education (CTE) programs.
The funding will support renovations and expansion on its campus, including expanded lab space, the purchase of modern greenhouses, and the creation of multipurpose classrooms and modular computer labs for both daytime and night/weekend students, Superintendent Jeremy Guay announced in a statement from Walpole on May 1.
The Norfolk Aggie campus expansion will allow the 365-acre high school property to add about 100 students to its Plant Science and Environmental Science programs, according to the school. Those programs are among several career pathways for students attending the school, which also include animal and marine science, agricultural and diesel mechanics, and horticultural science.
The expanded lab and greenhouse capacity will also allow Norfolk Aggie to expand its after-school and weekend programming to an additional 60 to 80 high school students from the surrounding community each year - approximately a 10 percent increase over its current enrollment of more than 600 students from the 28 towns of Norfolk County along with 40 out-of-county communities. The expansion will support the addition of 30 to 40 incumbent workers and adult learners seeking industry-recognized credentials through Commonwealth Corporation (CTI) training partnerships.
"This grant allows Norfolk Aggie to grow and help our graduates connect with high-paying, high-demand jobs," said Superintendent Guay, while thanking the Healey-Driscoll administration for supporting career technical education.
Norfolk Aggie is among 28 high schools and career technical schools that received a total of more than $70 million in capital grants from the state on Thursday, April 30, according to the school.
"Across Massachusetts, we're hearing from students and families who want access to career technical education. That's why we're making a $70 million investment to expand programs, create new seats and modernize training facilities so more students can get the skills they need and step in to strong, in-demand careers," said Governor Maura Healey, noting that the expanded capacity at schools will open opportunities for students to gain skills and will strengthen the workforce for employers.
“These investments will help connect more students to the skills and training that employers across Massachusetts are looking for right now,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll in a statement released on April 30. “By expanding access to career technical education, we’re strengthening our workforce pipeline and creating more opportunities for students to step directly into in-demand careers.”
As part of the administration’s “Reimagining High School” initiative, CTE programs equip students with the skills they need to succeed in today’s job market through development of innovative, applied learning opportunities that align with current industry needs and provide students with high quality learning experiences that enable them to see and understand clear pathways to careers and continued education.
Thanks to Norfolk County Agricultural High School for sharing this news with Westwood Minute.
