Displaying items tagged: Grand Rapids Community College

HOLLAND TWP. — Trustees at Grand Rapids Community College have voted to purchase a former JCPenney store in Holland Township to convert it into a consolidated Lakeshore campus.

Since Bill Pink became the tenth president of Grand Rapids Community College two years ago, he has become a leading voice for the state’s network of 28 community colleges.

GRAND RAPIDS — Grand Rapids Community College plans to use a $100,000 grant from the JPMorgan Chase Foundation to try to convince more middle school and high school students to consider a career in health care. The college plans to reach out to schools to encourage eighth-, ninth- and 10th-grade students to enroll in a trio of week-long “Health Care Scrubs Camps” scheduled for this summer that will introduce them to health care jobs in the region.

When Steve Huizenga seeks to recruit the next generation of tradespeople, he stresses to young candidates that the industry is “not your grandpa’s trade” anymore. Huizenga, president of Allied Mechanical Services Inc., a Grand Rapids-based mechanical contracting firm, said promoting the technology used in the construction trades has been key in recruiting men and women to join his company.

Grand Rapids Community College will receive $100,000 from heavy metal band Metallica to support new programming, the school announced today.

GRAND RAPIDS — Noble Johnson serves as an example of the success of Heartside Ministry’s GED program.

Here is the MiBiz Growth Report for July 23, 2018.

GRAND RAPIDS — Creating a level playing field for people of color in Michigan who want to pursue careers in the health care sector will lay the foundation for their success and the state’s future economic growth. 

By focusing on an internal culture that favors employee retention and support for external training initiatives, some West Michigan executives say they’ve largely avoided any problems associated with labor shortages.

GRAND RAPIDS — With the new AMP Lab @WMU that’s set to open this fall, Western Michigan University wants to leverage public- and private-sector partnerships to help local manufacturers innovate and access talent.

Here is the MiBiz Growth Report for Feb. 5, 2018

• M&A: Grand Rapids-based Alliance CNC Cutter Grinding Services Inc. was acquired by GWS Tool Group LLC of Tavares, Fla., according to a statement. Alliance CNC is a designer and manufacturer of tight tolerance drills, reamers and micro-tools. With the deal, GWS adds hole-making tool capabilities to its existing focus in round tools, endmills and inserts. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Alliance CNC will continue to operate out of its Grand Rapids area plant with its existing management team. GWS Tool Group is a vertically integrated manufacturer of engineered cutting tools for the aerospace, defense, power generation, automotive and medical industries.

Dr. Bill Pink is Grand Rapids Community College’s 10th president, replacing Dr. Steven Ender who retired in May. Pink has been with GRCC since 2015, having served as the college’s vice president and dean of workforce development. Prior to GRCC, Pink was vice president of academic affairs at Oklahoma State University. An educator for 25 years, Pink’s background includes an associate degree from York College in Nebraska, a bachelor’s degree from Oklahoma Christian University, a master’s degree from the University of Central Oklahoma and a doctorate from the University of Oklahoma. Pink spoke with MiBiz about the need for GRCC to stay relevant for employers and how the college is designing courses to make that a reality.

West Michigan educators and at least one business group say the Trump administration’s plan to rescind the Deferred Action of Childhood Arrivals program already is leading to anxiety and uncertainty.

While West Michigan’s affordable housing crisis may pale in comparison to situations in other larger metro areas, disparate groups are taking a hands-on approach to the problem.

Grand Rapids Community College has today named Bill Pink as the college’s next president.

A $6 million federal grant will pay for Grand Rapids Community College to train more health care workers.

One of Grand Rapids’ newest breweries will open on the campus of Grand Rapids Community College this academic year.

Despite ongoing concerns about a talent gap, employment in West Michigan’s construction industry continues to rise. 

GRAND RAPIDS — A statewide coalition of community colleges, including Grand Rapids Community College, is vying for federal grant dollars that would provide free tuition for students in key advanced manufacturing programs. 

Grand Rapids Community Foundation is expanding its Challenge Scholars program to include every graduating student at Union High School.

Grand Rapids Community College (GRCC) will be on the hunt for a new president in 2017 as its current president, Steve Ender prepares for retirement.

Gov. Rick Snyder is asking state lawmakers to increase funding for the popular Skilled Trades Training Fund program as part of his budget for the 2017 fiscal year.

Facing what they say is a dearth of qualified technical talent, manufacturers have been forced to get creative in developing their own internal training programs. But despite those efforts to fill the gap, companies still rely heavily on community colleges to train the next wave of workers. 

The JPMorgan Chase Foundation recently awarded Grand Rapids Community College (GRCC) a $45,000 grant to develop the institution’s industrial sewing and logistics programs.