Pittsburgh, Pa. − February 7, 2024 − Senator Lindsey M. Williams joined A.W. Beattie staff, faculty, and students in celebrating the Career Center’s receipt of an $85,000 Career and Technical Education Competitive Equipment Grant through the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE). This grant announcement comes during National Career and Technical Education (CTE) Month, which celebrates the accomplishments of CTE programs and the importance of CTE for students of all ages.
“A.W. Beattie has an incredible number of career-track programs that students from across northern Allegheny County can take advantage of to further their career- and college-readiness,” said Senator Williams. “But making sure that students are learning to use the up-to-date equipment that they will experience in the field is costly for career and tech ed centers. While I’m always happy to advocate for individual grant funding for specific projects, I look forward to finding ways to make these streams of funding more predictable and stable for all of our career and technical centers in the future. Our students, and our future economy, depends on our CTCs being able to meet the needs of the coming job market.”
“A.W. Beattie is celebrating National CTE Month,” said Eric Heasley, Executive Director of A.W. Beattie Career Center. “These grant funds will be utilized to install a new 20” Band Saw in the Carpentry/Building Construction program and upgrade welding equipment in our HVAC and Automotive Collision programs. All three of these program areas or in high demand by the students accepted for enrollment at A.W. Beattie Career Center.”
Competitive Equipment Grants are open to school districts and career and technical centers (CTCs) with eight or more PDE-approved Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs. Grant funds can be used for updating or purchasing new equipment used by students for the purpose of training. Additional information about the grant program can be found here.