Green River College receives $400k grant to strengthen employer partnerships and connect students with opportunity
By Philip Denman, December 5, 2022
Green River College was recently awarded a $400,000 grant through the Strada Education Network Employer and Community College Partnership Challenge.
The grant is part of an effort to support innovative collaborations across the country between community colleges and employers. Green River will also participate in opportunities to share insights and learn from other community colleges and employers, through a community of practice.
According to Ken Hang, program director and Software Development instructor at GRC, the grant will provide students with better access to technology and opportunities, while also strengthening relationships with partner institutions.
“We are excited to be able to partner with Strada Education Network to grow opportunities for students to access work-based learning opportunities through industry capstone projects with technology companies in our classes,” aid. “Many of our students are unable to access traditional summer internships as they have commitments to family and/or jobs and through our partnerships, we are working to bring a comparable experience of working with industry mentors on industry projects into our classes that all our Software Development students can access.”
In addition to Green River College, the following other colleges received grants from Strada:
- Broward College, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
- Carl Albert State College, Sallisaw, Oklahoma
- Community College of Rhode Island, Warwick, Rhode Island
- Honolulu Community College, Honolulu, Hawaii
- Ivy Tech Community College, Indianapolis, Indiana
- MiraCosta College, North San Diego County, California
- Pima County Community College, Tucson, Arizona
- Salt Lake Community College, Salt Lake City, Utah
- Surry Community College, Dobson, North Carolina
- West Georgia Technical College, La Grange, Georgia
"Community colleges are engines of opportunity with unique insight into local dynamics and needs," Strada Impact President Ruth V. Watkins said. "We're honored to both support and learn from these programs as we work to align measures of success beyond completion with the things that matter most to learners: career mobility and earning potential, meaningful work and the chance to contribute to their communities."
Strada Education Network is a national nonprofit dedicated to helping people take advantage of education and training after high school that helps them secure a good job, do meaningful work, contribute to their communities, and lead a fulfilling life. Strada helps students succeed beyond completion of a certificate or degree through its research, charitable grants, and social impact investments, as well as through the work of Strada-supported nonprofit organizations CAEL, Education at Work, InsideTrack, and Roadtrip Nation, which directly serve learners and workers. Learn more at stradaeducation.org.
Green River College’s Bachelor of Applied Science in Software Development prepares students for an exciting career in tech by providing affordable tuition, stellar instruction, and project-based learning opportunities. This degree prepares graduates for high-demand jobs such as software developer, web developer, software developer in test, and quality assurance (QA) analyst. Learn more about Green River’s BAS in Software Development.
