HAVERHILL — For community college students on their path to a cap and gown, their education just received an investment of more than $450,000.
Rep. Lori Trahan announced Tuesday that Northern Essex Community College (NECC) will receive $453,065 in new federal funding for its PACE program, which helps students develop the skills needed to complete their degrees, succeed in the workforce or transfer to a four-year institution.
The funding is part of $2 million awarded to three community colleges across the Third District of Massachusetts through three U.S. Department of Education programs that support first-generation, low-income and non-traditional students as they enter college, stay enrolled and graduate.
“For so many students, community college is where a bigger future begins,” Trahan said. “It’s the first person in a family to earn a degree, the parent going back to school, the worker learning a new trade.
“This funding helps more of them finish what they started. I’ll always fight for federal investments in our schools and community colleges, because every degree earned here changes a family’s story for good.”
NECC’s award comes through the Student Support Services Program that will provide additional funding for PACE, or Pathways to Academic and Career Excellence.
Founded in 1980, PACE is a federally funded TRIO student support services initiative designed to help them succeed. The program serves more than 250 students annually across NECC’s Haverhill and Lawrence campuses.
“NECC’s PACE program has supported thousands of Merrimack Valley students over the past 40 years,” NECC President Lane Glenn said. “We know funding like this can’t always be guaranteed, and so are grateful for Congresswoman Trahan’s advocacy for our region’s students.”
PACE offers academic and career advising, transfer support, connections to scholarships and financial aid, workshops and seminars.
The other institutions receiving funding are Mount Wachusett Community College, which was awarded $1.1 million, and Middlesex Community College, which received $411,936.
Trahan has a history of advocating for community colleges, vocational schools and workforce development in the region.
As the only Massachusetts member of Congress serving on the House Education and Labor Committee during the 116th Congress, she helped craft the College Affordability Act, which cracked down on predatory for-profit colleges with strict consumer protections.