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A $500,000 U.S. Department of Education grant, earmarked from Congressman and ������Ƶ alum James Langevin, will fund a new information technology certificate program designed for multilingual learners. 

Scheduled to begin in 2023, the certificate program seeks to reach out to underserved, unemployed and underemployed adult students interested in cybersecurity, information technology support, data analytics and software development.

The training will be offered at the ������Ƶ Workforce Development Hub in Central Falls in partnership with the ������Ƶ Computer Science and Information Systems Department and the ������Ƶ STEAM Center.  After earning the certificate, students will have gained contextualized English-as-a-second-language skills, math remediation and other workplace expertise as well as technical training to pursue in-demand and high-wage jobs in the information technology industry. 

������Ƶ Vice President of Corporate Engagement and Professional Studies Jenifer Giroux says the grant will forge a new pathway for ������Ƶ. 

“This grant is very exciting because it’s creating stackable credentials for people to come to ������Ƶ to study for careers that are in demand,” she says. “Traditionally, on the workforce development and continuing education side, we haven’t really done much in cybersecurity or data analytics, so this will provide an opportunity for adult learners in particular. And this gives us a chance to support the information technology industry in Rhode Island.”