Union County Vocational-Technical Schools get $9M for two programs. Here's what's planned - My Central Jersey
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Union County Vocational School District (UCVTS) has been selected by Gov. Phil Murphy to receive grants totaling more than $9 million to expand two career and technical educational programs, as part of the Securing Our Children's Future Bond Act.
One involves Peterson Farm Park while the second is a Global Logistics and Supply Chain Management program. With both grants approved, UCVTS will receive $9,287,471 in total for the projects.
The Securing Our Children's Future Bond Act was passed by public referendum in 2018 and provides $500 million in infrastructure funding for the state's vocational and technical schools as well as certain other infrastructure projects.
Buy Photo The county plans to transform county property on Cushing Road into a working farm, as part of a unique educational opportunity for students at the Union County Vocational-Technical School District in Scotch Plains.
(Photo: Alexander Lewis / MyCentralJersey)The Union County Board of Commissioners earlier this year guaranteed a 25% percent match to the grant, adding another $2.3 million to the project, bringing the funding for the program to $11.6 million. As required by the Bond Act, 25% of total project costs must be supported by the county vocational-technical school districts.
The Peterson Farm Park project was granted $5,333,377. The Union County match brings the total to $7,111,169. The Sustainable Food Sciences and Production program aims to provide college and career training for students interested in pursuing a future in the high-wage, high-skill Manufacturing Technology/Technician field with a specific focus on a food science/food production pathway.
The proposed project at Peterson Farm Park on Cushing Road includes indoor and outdoor instructional spaces to house the students. The space will have classrooms, a sustainable food science lab and a science lab.
Union County Vocational School District has been selected by Gov. Phil Murphy to receive grants totaling more than $9 million to expand two career and technical educational programs, as part of the Securing Our Children's Future Bond Act.
(Photo: ~Courtesy of Union County)Students will have daily access to the Peterson Farm site in Plainfield on the Scotch Pains border. The property was formerly the last working dairy farm in Union County. Recently, the county announced plans to transform the property into a working farm as part of an educational opportunity for UCVTS students.
"We are really excited," said UCVTS Superintendent Gwendolyn Ryan. "This is a good example of how current technical education can make work-based learning come alive for students. This is a kind of opportunity that when it comes around, you want to jump on it."
The lessons that can be learned are not limited to agriculture, Ryan added.
Students would learn through a hands-on, project-based curriculum articulated with Union County College (UCC). Additional partnerships with post-secondary institutions, county organizations and industry professionals will connect learning to career opportunities, both in high school and beyond.
Further, student certification opportunities would include Industry Valued Credentials specific to manufacturing and food science with opportunities to earn the OSHA Safety - 10 Hour - Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Good Manufacturing Practices - NSF, and the ServSafe Food Protection Manager Certification.
MORE: Farm to school: Union County planning hands-on educational opportunity
At the Peterson Farm Park project, students would learn scientific concepts and career skills necessary to understand and address current and future problems in the food production industry. A lens of sustainability studies throughout the coursework would also help prepare students to meet the demands of the 21st century industry and economy, Ryan said.
Farm to table production, organic farming and food production, and the study of local flora are examples of specific learning opportunities which students who might attend the program will experience, she added.
"Having coursework down the road that is tied to work at the site is something that we would aspire to create," Ryan added. "It's amazing what possibilities a plot of land can have."
The Global Logistics and Supply Chain Management, granted $3,954,094 by Murphy, has a total project cost of $5,272,125 with the match by the county. It will be located in a renovated leased space a part of Union County College on the campus of UCVTS. Students in this program will be engaged in the high-skill, high-wage, high-demand field of Global Logistics and Supply Chain Management.
The space will include instructional classrooms, science labs and a Career and Technical Education Logistics Center intended to be used for hands-on learning and for students to operate a school-based enterprise.
"We are thrilled that both of our grant applications and projects have been recommended for funding," Ryan said. "The Sustainable Food Sciences & Production and Global Logistics & Supply Chain Management programs will continue with the tradition of innovative, hands-on and relevant career and technical education experiences for which the Union County Vocational-Technical Schools are known. Partnerships with the County of Union, Union County College, and local industry professionals are a key component to both projects and will bring a variety of new and creative career opportunities to our students. We are very excited to begin the next stages of planning and implementation."
Aerial view of Union County Vocational Technical School campus
(Photo: ~Courtesy of Union County)UCC will be the primary partner in the collaboration and articulation process. With UCC, UCVTS plans to offer students an accelerated pathway to earning an A.S. in Supply Chain Management. Additional partnerships with post-secondary institutions, county organizations and industry professionals will connect learning to career opportunities, both in high school and beyond.
In addition to college credits, the primary certification that students will be eligible to receive is a New Jersey Industry Valued Credential as set forth by the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development. This credential is the Manufacturing Skill Standards Council Certified Logistics Associate (CLA) certification. After graduating from the UCVTS program, students would be qualified to directly enter the workforce, attend UCC with credits towards an Associate Degree in Supply Chain Management, or apply to enter into a four-year college/university program.
The Murphy administration is recommending approximately $317.2 million in awards for the initial round of the Securing Our Children's Future Bond Act.
"I have long believed that investments in our students and schools are investments in the future of our state," Murphy said. "These projects will help our school districts and institutions of higher education keep students safe and healthy, while also ensuring that they are ready for the careers of future."
For county vocational school districts, the first round will fund 17 proposed projects, totaling approximately $220.2 million. The grants will be administered by the Department of Education.
The projects head to the Legislature for final approval.
"The infrastructure improvements announced today (May 28) will fund school security and water infrastructure projects, as well as expand career and technical education offerings in our county vocational-technical schools," said acting Commissioner of Education Angelica Allen-McMillan. "These are major investments that will provide students with greater opportunity, safety, and security."
email: cmakin@gannettnj.com
Cheryl Makin is an award-winning features and education reporter for MyCentralJersey.com, part of the USA Today Network. Contact: Cmakin@gannettnj.com or @CherylMakin.
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