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Jobee O'Sullivan, Nashoba Tech's Director of Postsecondary, Continuing & Community Education, is ready to help anyone who was laid off or furloughed due to COVID-19 and interested in finding out how to undergo free training to become a plumber or automotive technician. Call her at 978-692-4711, ext. 11157
Nashoba Tech is one of eight schools — and the only one in the Greater Lowell area — to receive Career Technical Initiative grants from Gov. Charlie Baker’s Workforce Skills Cabinet.
The cabinet recently announced the recipients of $1.3 million in grant funding, with Nashoba Tech receiving $100,000.
Nashoba Tech will use the money to provide training and placement services to prepare unemployed and underemployed adults for positions as automotive technicians and plumbers through the school’s Career Technical Institute.
According to Jobee O’Sullivan, Director of Postsecondary, Continuing & Community Education for Nashoba Tech, the school will be able to provide training for those who have lost their jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and it will be free to those participants.
“Our 200-hour adult training program provides the hands-on and theory skills necessary for entry-level employment in Plumbing and Automotive Services,” she said.
Plumbing classes are scheduled to start March 1, but there are still openings. Candidates must first be deemed eligible by a MassHire Career Center, then complete Nashoba’s enrollment paperwork.
The free class would run Mondays through Fridays, from 4 to 8 p.m., through May 14. The class will cover soldering, pipe-connecting tools, threading machines and more, and students who successfully complete the course will receive Plumbing Tier 1 hours and OSHA 10 Construction Safety credentials.
The Automotive Services class is scheduled to start Monday, March 16. Candidates must first be deemed eligible by a MassHire Career Center, then complete Nashoba’s enrollment paperwork.
The free 200-hour training program runs Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, from 5 to 9 p.m., and Saturdays, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., from March 16 through May 22. The class will cover inspection, brakes, alignment, electrical, transmissions, engines and more, and students who successfully complete the course will receive OSHA 10 Automotive Safety, Valvoline, WD-40, Advance Auto Parts, and Automotive Services Excellence, or ASE, certifications.
“In support of our mission — to provide the highest quality academic and technical education possible to prepare our students for college and career paths leading to success in an ever-changing technological world — our goal is to help fill the pipeline with skilled workers who can contribute to the Massachusetts economy and provide a more stable career path for themselves and their families,” O’Sullivan said.
“Both programs will be taught by certified instructors, who also bring many years of professional industry experience to the training program, and our industry partners will offer additional information, training and employment opportunities to graduates of these programs,” she added.
Those industry partners include MassHire Greater Lowell and North Central Career Centers and Workforce Boards, as well as following employer partners: Triangle Service Center, Acton Toyota of Littleton, Atamian Honda, Stansfield Tire Center, Viega LLC, J. Ellis Plumbing & Heating, Eric C. Foster Plumbing & Heating.
For more information on either course, call 978-692-4711, ext. 11157.
Nashoba Career Technical Institute is located at Nashoba Tech, 100 Littleton Road, Westford.