FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DATE:  August 16, 2006
CONTACT:   Judy Yu, (206) 546-4634 or Matt Houghton, (206) 546-4695                          

SCC to receive funding for Opportunity Grant
pilot project for low income students

Shoreline, WA ― Shoreline Community College is one of 10 community colleges in the state to receive funding from the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges for a new program to provide workforce education for low-income students, especially those with limited English and basic skills proficiency. The Opportunity Grants will support an automotive services pathway pilot project. The first year grant allocation is $416,000 with funding renewable, pending continued achievement of project goals and outcomes. Shoreline will receive over $1.2 million in state support for the pilot project over the next three years.

Shoreline President Lee Lambert notes, “This Opportunity Grant pilot will give low income and first generation college students in our community a chance to learn the skills they need to embark on a rewarding career as an automotive service technician. The grant provides the financial support their contribution is their time and hard effort.” Annual tuition and fees, books, tools, transportation, and childcare expenses will be provided for 30 General Service Technician (GST) program students and 10 Associate degree students in manufacturer-sponsored training programs. The average placement wage for GST graduates is $14/hour and the average wage for graduates of manufacturer-sponsored degree programs is $19/hour.

GST is an introductory technical training program designed to prepare qualified students for entry-level positions in the automotive service industry. Those who complete the program will have the skills needed in today’s industry as an automotive service technician. Pilot project director, Matt Houghton points out, “What makes the GST program unique is that the basic skills remediation and ESL instruction is integrated into the technical skills training. This makes the training very intensive and very efficient.” SCC also offers five manufacturer-sponsored Associate Degree programs in partnership with General Motors, DaimlerChrysler, Toyota, Honda, and Volvo. The National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation (NATEF) evaluators recently awarded Shoreline Community College’s Professional Automotive Training Center, where these programs reside, the only perfect score or 100% rating in the nation.

For more information, contact Matt Houghton at (206) 546.4695 or mhoughto@shoreline.edu. More information about the Opportunity Grant program can be found on the State Board home page at http://www.sbctc.ctc.edu.