A community college district in southwest Wyoming is receiving a $3 million grant to increase the healthcare workforce in the region, the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) announced recently.
The DOC's Economic Development Administration (EDA) awarded the funds to Western Wyoming Community College (WWCC) District in Rock Springs, Wyo., the agency announced Jan. 5, "to help diversify the economy by boosting the region’s healthcare workforce," the announcement states.
"This project is funded under the Assistance to Coal Communities (ACC) initiative," the EDA states, "through which EDA awards funds on a competitive basis to assist communities severely impacted by the declining use of coal. ACC projects support economic diversification, job creation, capital investment, workforce development, and re-employment opportunities."
New educational spaces will be built on the WWCC main campus and existing buildings will be renovated to create a Health Science wing with the EDA investment, which is to be matched with $5 million in state and local funds, according to the statement. The project is predicted to create 1,500 jobs, the EDA reports.
Commerce Sec. Gina Raimondo, who made the grant announcement, said the funding "will result in greater educational and workforce opportunities for local students while helping to meet industry demand for skilled healthcare workers in the region.”
Expanding education space at WWCC's main campus will increase the college's capacity to "meet critical demand for health-sciences positions in its five-county service area," Alejandra Castillo, assistant secretary of Commerce for Economic Development, said in the report.
“Economic Development Administration investments play a vital role in helping communities impacted by the downturn of the coal economy diversify and grow for the future,” Castillo said.
"The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to ensuring that our nation’s coal communities are provided with the resources they need to transition to new industries,” Raimondo said in the announcement.
