Community College of Denver (CCD) Foundation is pleased to announce that it has received a $100,000 grant from JPMorgan Chase to support its manufacturing programs. The funding will support training and overall coordination of machine technologies and fabrication welding programs at CCD’s Advanced Manufacturing Center (AMC), including faculty as well as developing and managing employer partnerships. Colorado’s manufacturing industry predicts a nine percent job growth through 2020, and CCD plans to expand the number of students it is training for middle-skills jobs in the fields of machine technologies and fabrication welding.
“With the boom of more students comes the need for greater capacity for classes and instructors, said Francie Anhut, Executive Director of the CCD Foundation. “At just over 30,000 square feet, the AMC is equipped to handle the capacity for new classes, but the need for additional faculty is critical.”
Last year, CCD’s manufacturing programs grew by 16 percent and in the spring over 60 students graduated from its programs. While many of those graduates have decided to continue on with advanced training or pursuit of a bachelor’s degree, over 20 of these graduates have been placed in the workforce putting their training to work. CCD seeks to continue to grow its programs and in turn place more students into the workforce to meet the demand for these workers.
“We’re proud to support this program because it really can make a difference in helping people get the state-of-the art training they need to get a great job with a good future,” said Joseph Coleman, Business Banking Market Manager for Chase in Colorado. “By partnering with employers to develop the curriculum CCD is helping prepare and place its students in well-paying, high demand jobs in advanced manufacturing.”
To ensure that CCD's programs are demand driven, the school maintains partnerships with numerous local employers who assist with the development of the curriculum, identify the equipment and simulation capabilities needed to provide realistic and job-ready, hands-on learning opportunities. These partnerships ensure the relevance of the curriculum and help CCD in its ongoing efforts to place trained students into high-demand, middle-skills jobs.
CCD currently offers associate degree and certificate programs in fabrication welding, machining and engineering graphics. CCD has designed its training programs to be modular, allowing students to become eligible for $14-25/hour, middle-skills, living-wage jobs after just six to nine months of training. To learn more visit CCD.edu/AMC.
About JPMorgan Chase & Co.
JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM) is a leading global financial services firm with assets of $2.5 trillion and operations worldwide. The Firm is a leader in investment banking, financial services for consumers and small businesses, commercial banking, financial transaction processing, and asset management. A component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, JPMorgan Chase & Co. serves millions of consumers in the United States and many of the world's most prominent corporate, institutional and government clients under its J.P. Morgan and Chase brands. Information about JPMorgan Chase & Co. is available at www.jpmorganchase.com.
The Community College of Denver Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization focused on engaging individuals, foundations, and corporations in supporting CCD in its commitment to be the most welcoming, diverse, and excellent community college in the Metro-Denver area. Through scholarships to students, programmatic and faculty support, and capital enhancements, the Foundation invests in deserving CCD students—ensuring they have access to a high-quality, relevant education. Learn more at CCD-Foundation.org.