Gov. Charlie Baker and Labor and Workforce Development Secretary Rosalin Acosta presented Whittier Tech Principal Chris Laganas with a Capital Skills Grant during a Feb. 16 ceremony in Lynn. (Courtesy photograph)
Merrimack Valley residents eager to advance their career in dental assisting will soon be able to further their education at Haverhill’s Whittier Regional Vocational Technical High School.
The school has been awarded a $420,000 grant to fund a new secondary dental assisting program through the Baker-Polito Administration’s Skills Capital Grant awards. Whittier Tech is one of seven high schools across the Commonwealth to share in a total of $2.3 million earmarked to better prepare students for the workforce.
With the money, Whittier Tech intends to launch a night school program for students already employed in the dental field. Equipment including dental chairs, analog and digital X-ray equipment, a denture processing center and more will also be purchased.
“Skills Capital Grants impact students’ education and influence programs to meet the needs of employers across the Commonwealth seeking skilled employees,” Lt. Governor Karyn Polito said. “We are encouraged every time we visit a school that was awarded one of these grants and hear students talk about the difference the new equipment makes in their educational experience.”
The Baker-Polito Administration has long supported Whittier Tech’s efforts to give their graduates a workforce edge. In September 2017, the Governor attended the opening of the school’s state-of-the-art advanced manufacturing shop funded by a similar grant.