Rep. Levin & MiraCosta College Officials Announce $1 Million for New Workforce Training Program
New Funding Will Create Hands-On Courses to Prepare Students for High-Demand, High-Skilled Jobs
Oceanside, CA – Today, Rep. Mike Levin (CA-49) hosted a press conference with MiraCosta College officials, students, and employers to announce new funding for the college’s Technology Career Institute’s (TCI) accelerated skills-based training programs.
Rep. Levin presents a check for $1 million he secured in federal funding to MiraCosta College Technology Career Institute (TCI)
The $1 million investment, secured by Rep. Levin in the recent government funding legislation passed by Congress in December 2022, will create hands-on training courses to prepare students for jobs in high-skilled occupations in engineering, manufacturing, and biomedical equipment. TCI will use the funds to create programs that utilize new technology to prepare a future-ready talent pipeline.
“This funding will ensure we prepare our workforce for careers in critical and growing sectors of our local economy, and they are able to compete in the global market,” said Rep. Levin. “When we invest in STEM education and workforce training, we invest in our community. I’m proud to have secured this funding for MiraCosta College’s Technology Career Institute, and I will continue to fight for more funding that supports our students, educators, and communities.”
“Our Board of Trustees and our college are proud to welcome back Congressman Mike Levin and his staff to the Technology Career Institute. This facility opened in this location in 2015 and was developed as a partnership with the College, the city of Carlsbad, and a $3 million Dept. of Labor Grant. Since then, federal dollars have helped to turn an office building into this state-of-the-art workforce facility and to equip the building with industry specific equipment. The building housed our accelerated work skills programs, our small business development center and, also our veteran’s business outreach center,” said Frank Merchant, Chair of MiraCosta College Board of Trustees. “Today we are excited to mark another investment by our federal government to help us expand and support our important programs. We thank Congressman Levin for his continued and much appreciated support of MiraCosta College.”
“We are extremely grateful to Congressman Levin for helping to secure these federal fund dollars and for his ongoing support,” said Linda Kurokawa, Director of Community Education and Workforce Development, MiraCosta College. “Funding like this means more students with diverse backgrounds will be able to train in industry relevant technical skills using state-of-the-art equipment, and all at the lowest tuition possible. It is such a win for our North County residents and our local businesses!”
“Much is said about the relationship between industry and educational institutions. The relationship between TCI program at MiraCosta college and Creative Electron is a perfect example of how this engagement can be successfully executed,” said Bill Cardoso, CEO of Creative Electron. “We feed the TCI program with the resources needed to allow it to educate relevant professionals, and in return we get a highly qualified workforce ready to produce day one. A win-win relationship that has fueled our growth despite a challenging labor market.”
“I came to this class with no understanding of engineering but, through the Engineering Tech course at TCI, I've gotten a good grasp of foreign concepts that I would have never thought of before. Whether you are familiar with this type of industry or just looking to find a career path, TCI is a great place to not only advance your career but also help you grow as a person,” said current TCI Student Steve Pacarro.
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