OTC awarded $1M federal STEM grant

Ozarks Technical Community College yesterday received a $1 million grant as part of  $19.7 million awarded to Show-Me State community colleges and the State Technical College of Missouri.

The funding comes from the U.S. Department of Labor's Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training grant program. OTC will use its portion of the grant funding to enhance its science, technology engineering and math curriculum, specifically allowing 108 students to earn an associate of applied science in chemical laboratory technology or an affiliated certificate, according to a news release.

“We are grateful to the U.S. Department of Labor for helping OTC further develop its high-demand STEM programs,” OTC Chancellor Hal Higdon said in the release. “Enhancing these programs will provide more career opportunities for our graduates in this growing sector.”

The grant to OTC represents the fourth from the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training program since 2011.

OTC is part of a consortium of community colleges taking part in a protracted effort to study and bolster the success of STEM field students, started because of an identified need for employment and growth in the areas of science, technology engineering and math, according to the release.[[In-content Ad]]