Missoula College Gets $8 Million Grant to Train Adults for Healthcare Careers

The U.S. Department of Labor has provided $15 million in grants to Montana's community colleges, and Missoula College received $8 million of the funds.

Missoula College received a grant to help train adult learners and prepare them for careers in the healthcare industry.

Project Director for Montana Health CARE (Creating Access to Rural Education) Kaye Norris said the grant will help make adult learners who are unemployed transition into higher paying healthcare jobs.

"The project is focused on adult learners, and because many of them have families and prior commitments that make it difficult to attend regular classes," Norris said. "One component of this grant is to try to make as many of these healthcare courses, particularly nursing courses, available in a distance fashion."

Norris said adult learners will have access to resources to help them be successful in the program.

"Some of the programs available to the adult learners will be tutoring, remedial courses, as well as some coaching to help them determine what career path they really want to take," she said. "We'll be ramping up the nursing curriculum so that those adult learners move through the program more quickly."

Norris said the program can be accessed through the Missoula Job Service or through any community college in the state.