By: Follow South Jersey Staff
SEWELL, N.J. — The Gloucester County Vocational Technical School/Special Services School District (GCIT/SSSD) are finalizing a grant application submission under the Secure Our Children’s Bond Act that will pave the way to enhance career and technical education in Gloucester County’s vocational-technical school district as well as sharing collaborative space with Rowan College of South Jersey and Rowan University.
Once the application is reviewed and approved, construction on a new educational and technical training center on the campus of Rowan College of South Jersey (RCSJ) will begin. The center will house 120 to 150 full time students from grades nine thru twelve during the day and will be the home of the newly introduced Academy of Applied Technology and Advanced Manufacturing. In the evening, the school will transition over for college education and programming.
The Secure Our Children’s Future Bond Act will allocate $500 million in state bonds to expand county vocational-technical programs, county college and technical education programs, enhance K-12 school security and repair contaminated school drinking water systems.
“The Securing Our Children’s Future Bond Act will allow GCIT/SSSD to invest in the programs that our students love,” Freeholder Director Robert M. Damminger said. “Our goal is always to provide our students with high-quality, career relevant academic programs that will set them up for success in their future careers. The addition of the Academy of Applied Technology and Advanced Manufacturing gives students exactly that by exposing them to a broad range of educational experiences.”
The Academy of Applied Technology and Advanced Manufacturing will allow students to engage in course work that will expose them to emerging technologies and advanced manufacturing processes. Students who enter this program will acquire the skills necessary for employment in a wide variety of occupations.
Students housed on the main Gloucester County Institute of Technology (GCIT) campus will have the opportunity to receive additional technical training on a shared-time basis through the district’s Collegiate High School experience and Work and Learn Consortium in partnership with RCSJ.
“This new construction will allow us to continue to expand our partnership between GCIT/SSSD, RCSJ and Rowan University with the central goal of making not only education affordable but relevant to our future job markets,” Freeholder Lyman Barnes said.
Barnes serves as the Liaison to the Department of Education which includes GCIT/SSSD and RCSJ. He also stated that this will be another unique opportunity for both GCIT/SSSD and RCSJ students to share space and learning opportunities in state-of-the-art facilities.
“Students enrolled in the current Academy of Engineering, Academy of Allied Health and Medical Sciences, Academy of Information Technology/Digital Communications and the School of Construction Technology will have exposure to the program,” Barnes said.
Michael Dicken, Superintendent of Gloucester County’s Special Services School District and Vocational – Technical School District, said that partnering with RCSJ will enhance job opportunities for students.
“Through our partnership with Rowan College of South Jersey and the Work and Learn Consortium, we expect to close the skills gap and provide our students with well-paying careers straight out of high school with industry-valued credentials and/or a two year degree from RCSJ,” Dicken said.
Students at the Academy of Allied Health and Medical Sciences will be exposed to high school and college level coursework, hands on training and will attain industry-based credentials and certifications. For more information, please visit www.gloucestercountynj.gov or www.gcit.org.
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