Working with industry and community partners, Middlesex Community College’s Community Education and Training (CET) offers free training programs to individuals who are unemployed or underemployed to enter in-demand healthcare fields. The grant funding supports students with professional development programs that teach the knowledge and skills students need to jumpstart their careers.
“Healthcare remains one of the largest areas in workforce development with continued growth forecasted in the coming years,” said Audrey Nahabedian, MCC’s Dean of Workforce Development and Innovation. “Community Education and Training offers a variety of noncredit healthcare courses and programs which allow participants to gain the skills necessary for entry or advancement in the field. We also offer information sessions or individualized advising for health program entry and support through the program implementation.”
Upon completing MCC’s noncredit healthcare programs, students are prepared to sit for certification exams and directly enter the workforce. In addition to providing the necessary theoretical knowledge to complete their certifications, programs include hands-on experiences and relevant practice in a real-world work environment.
Run by the Massachusetts Association of Community Colleges and Executive Office of Education, Middlesex offers courses through the Education Training Fund (ETF). This Spring, eligible students can enter or upgrade their skills in areas including, acute care certified nurse assistant, acute care pediatric expanded skills, certified addiction recover coach, dental office administration, local anesthesia, medical interpreting, medical office administration, nursing assistant/certified nurse assistant, pharmacy technician, and phlebotomy.
In 2025, The Healey-Driscoll Administration announced $7.4 million in workforce development grant funding for 16 initiatives across Massachusetts. MCC received $498,160 to train 104 unemployed or underemployed Massachusetts residents to become Certified Nurse Assistants. The college is partnering with Carleton-Willard Village in Bedford and Sunny Acres Nursing Home in Chelmsford to interview potential students for job placement as well as Mass Hire in Lowell for recruitment and support.
Through the TRAIN grant program, MCC will offer training for 15 students to complete a Pharmacy Technician Externship Program. Students will be prepared to take the national certification exam to become certified and enter the industry, including through an internship at Walgreens Pharmacies for hands-on training. There are additional plans for 12 students to complete a 220-hour experiential learning phlebotomy program with externships at 15 partnering hospitals or clinical sites.
Classes start as early as January and run through Spring 2026. Learn more and register for classes!