COVID-19 Aid Funds To Pay For Job Skills Program

August 15, 2020

Bucks Countians will benefit from a job skills training program being funded through coronavirus aid.

The county has awarded a $420,000 Coronavirus Relief Fund grant to the community college. The funding will fund programs that train county residents who find themselves unemployed due to the global pandemic. The money will go toward the Bucks County Community College Center for Workforce Development.

The funding will provide training at no cost to residents. It will offer four “Speed to Skill” programs in metalwork training, electro-mechanical industrial maintenance training, Microsoft Office technology and customer service specialist support certification, and the new bookkeeping with QuickBooks certification, according to the community college.

The training will be online and in a hybrid format during the pandemic. Students will learn online and hands on.

“All ‘Speed to Skill’ programs include workplace employability skill training. Additionally, students will work one-on-one with a career coach and recruiter for help with their resume, interviewing and job search,” a statement from the community college said in a statement.

“The COVID crisis has been such a burden on residents, families and the workforce of Bucks County,” said Bucks County Commissioner Gene DiGirolamo. “We are so grateful for the ability to make these funds available for such a worthwhile cause.”

DiGirolamo additionally stated that the “free job training in up-and-coming fields can ensure bright futures and financial security, and that is a silver lining in which we can all take great pride.”

Commissioner Bob Harvie said: “Even before the pandemic, our economy was facing a shortage of skilled workers. This grant will allow BCCC to help those who want to help themselves and their families by expanding their skills. This program is a critical step to our recovery.”

The money the county granted was part of its share of funds through the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act.

Those interested in apply can visit bucks.edu/wfd. The is no deadline to apply as the programs will be running at different start times throughout the remainder of the year.