Delaware Tech Offers Free Workforce Training

CONTRIBUTED BY DELAWARE TECHNICAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE

DELAWAREANS OF ALL AGES are taking advantage of free workforce training at Delaware Technical Community College, thanks to the expanded Student Excellence Equals Degree (SEED) Scholarship program. Originally, the scholarship applied only to academic degree programs, but since the expansion, it now includes free tuition for most of the College’s Workforce Development and Community Education course offerings.

“The expanded SEED legislation, sponsored by Senator Nicole Poore and signed into law by Governor John Carney, is helping us connect even more Delawareans with jobs through tuition-free training programs,” said Dr. Mark T. Brainard, president of Delaware Tech. “The expanded SEED Scholarship program is not only good for our students—it’s good for Delaware.”

The First State led the nation in 2005 when Governor Ruth Ann Minner signed the original SEED Scholarship legislation that provided two years of free college tuition for qualified Delaware high school graduates. But not all jobs in the state’s workforce require a college degree. Delaware Tech offers many short-term training programs through its Workforce Development and Community Education division that help students develop the skills needed to fill jobs in healthcare, business, construction, information technology, and more. Those programs are now included in the expanded SEED Scholarship legislation, which was signed into law in 2021.

The expanded SEED program also:

• Expands eligibility to 10 semesters

•Includes students who have a GED or “Delaware State Board of Education Endorsement Secondary Credentials”

• Is available to individuals with non-violent felonies (previously, individuals with felony convictions were not eligible for the scholarship)

Most workforce training programs at Delaware Tech take between six weeks and six months to complete. They include training for dental assistants, phlebotomists, welders, HVAC technicians, information technology (IT) professionals, early childhood educators, k-12 paraprofessionals, and more. Students are also able to stack credentials, making them highly employable in their chosen field.

“Delaware Tech is a great option for those who want to gain a skill who may not be interested in a two-year academic degree program,” Paul Morris, the College’s associate vice president for Workforce Development and Community Education. “The expanded SEED Scholarship program offers qualified Delawareans of all ages the opportuto obtain job-ready skills, tuition- free.”

Delaware Tech focuses on work-based learning, which means students experience hands-on training in real-world settings thanks to the College’s partnership with local employers. This type of experience ensures that stuwho complete Delaware Tech programs enter the workforce with all skills they need to be successful and meet the needs of the employers hire them.

“Delaware Tech has been training students for the workforce for more than 50 years, but we can now serve even more Delawareans thanks to our ability to offer free training for our certificate programs,” Brainard said.

“This is an incredible opportunity, not only for recent high school graduates, but for any Delawarean looking to make a career change or add new skills to their resume.”

For more information on the SEED scholarship, go to www.dtcc.edu/seed.