On Tuesday, November 4, Middlesex Community College hosted the Healey-Driscoll Administration to announce $2.1 million in Grants for Registered Apprenticeship Opportunities in Workforce (GROW) to 34 organizations to train and place more than 300 apprentices and pre-apprentices across the state. The grants – which include contract renewals and new awards – leverage nearly $2 million in state funding complemented by support from federal funds to train apprentices in high growth industries like health care, manufacturing, clean energy, and life sciences.
Labor and Workforce Development Secretary Lauren Jones made the announcement at MCC’s Lowell Campus. Middlesex received $125,000 to launch a Surgical Technology registered apprenticeship program in partnership with Lowell General Hospital (LGH)/Tufts Medicine.
“MCC is thrilled to receive a GROW Innovation Grant from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development to launch our new Surgical Technology Apprenticeship Program,” said Phil Sisson, MCC’s President. “Having this funding as we create our new program ensures we will have access to a state-of-the-art facility, a comprehensive curriculum, and ample career-readiness opportunities to prepare our students to enter an in-demand healthcare field. We are excited to strengthen our partnership with LGH/Tufts Medicine on this endeavor, and we look forward to equipping the Commonwealth with a highly skilled workforce.”
Registered Apprenticeship provides individuals with paid work experience including classroom instruction and on-the-job training combined with securing nationally recognized credentials, progressive wage increases, and economic mobility and advancement.
“The GROW grants are an effective way to expand Registered Apprenticeship opportunities that connect people to good jobs and help build a skilled workforce,” said Governor Maura Healey. “Through these investments, our administration is helping more residents access pathways into growing industries while supporting employers who are ready to train and hire.”
“These GROW grants strengthen local and regional partnerships that help employers build a skilled workforce specific to their needs,” said Lt. Governor Kim Driscoll. “By supporting registered apprenticeship programs in industries like health care, advanced manufacturing, early education, and IT, we’re creating more opportunities for Massachusetts residents to earn, learn, and advance their careers.”
The Division of Apprentice Standards (DAS) within the Massachusetts Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development (EOLWD) administers the Commonwealth’s Registered Apprenticeship Programs. DAS serves more than 500 active programs with more than 10,000 active apprentices. Construction and building trades apprenticeships comprise the majority of programs with nearly a quarter of registered apprentices represented by expansion industries such as health care, education and manufacturing.
“Expanding and growing Registered Apprenticeship in the Massachusetts is an important part of our workforce agenda,” said Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development Lauren Jones. “The GROW awards are part of the administration’s efforts to build workforce pipelines in our in-demand industries while increasing access and opportunity for our residents to pursue a career, gain industry-recognized credentials, and secure meaningful wages and benefits.”
The Healey-Driscoll Administration is committed to expanding apprenticeship. The administration’s FY26 budget delivered $2 million to enhance diversity, equity, and inclusion for the construction and building trades in Massachusetts and also expand registered apprenticeship to more industries. In addition, the Healey-Driscoll Administration enacted legislation to expand eligibility for the Registered Apprenticeship Tax Credit, which offers employers a $4,800 credit for each apprentice hired.
“Interest in registered apprenticeship is growing fast and our GROW grants are helping employers meet this need,” said Undersecretary of Labor Josh Cutler. “Whether it’s a career in the building trades, health care, IT, manufacturing, clean energy, or education, there’s a registered apprenticeship program for that. We look forward to working with all partners to support even more apprenticeship opportunities.”
“We are so excited to work with this group of thirty-four sponsors across the Commonwealth who see the immense potential of Registered Apprenticeship to support their workforce development needs,” said Director of the Division of Apprentice Standards Lara Thomas. “Apprenticeship changes lives, and we are honored to be able to provide this support and partner with these employers.”
MCC’s funding will go toward repurposing an unused operating room at LGH’s Saints Campus into the MCC-LGH Surgical Technology Simulation Lab and Learning Center. This is the first model of its kind in Massachusetts to pair a registered apprenticeship with an accredited associate degree in surgical technology.
Funding will also be used to gain simulation equipment and pilot the first cohort of apprenticeships in partnership with LGH’s clinical team and the Mass. Division of Apprentice Standards. Apprentices will learn in a realistic, simulation hospital environment, participating in paid, on-the-job training with comprehensive coursework.
“This grant represents a major step forward in how MCC prepares students for critical roles in healthcare,” said Karen Townsend, MCC’s Dean of Health. “We are proud to partner with LGH/Tufts Medicine to launch a program that directly meets the region’s workforce needs in surgical technology. This program opens doors for first-generation students, working adults, and individuals from varied backgrounds to enter a high-demand, well-paying field. This collaboration reflects what happens when education and industry come together – practical innovation that changes lives and strengthens the healthcare system.”