CCAC offers free education, training for STEM careers

The Community College of Allegheny County is using grant money to provide free education and training for jobs in STEM fields.

The BioMaS (Biotechnology, Math & Sciences) Workforce Collaborative program allows students to earn a Certificate or Associate of Science in Biotechnology, or an Associate of Science in Teacher Education Middle Level Mathematics or Teacher Education Middle Level Science Specialization in preparation for transfer to a four-year institution.

The program is funded by a five-year, nearly $630,000 grant from the National Science Foundation for Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. Under the grant, CCAC picks up the balance after Pell grants have been applied. All tuition, fees and books are paid for, whether or not students qualify for a Pell grant.

The BioMaS scholarship covers tuition and fees for up to 65 credits of CCAC credit courses; up to $450 for books in the fall and spring terms and up to $450 for books in the summer term; a paid internship for Biotechnology majors; additional cost-of-attendance items on an as-needed basis; and a monthly bus pass.

Students also have access to additional benefits as part of the collaborative including involvement in the BioMaS Learning Community to interact with fellow scholarship students; access to the BioMaS student support specialist, internship searches, job searches and preparation and tutoring in mathematics and science courses.

To be eligible for the scholarship, students must file their FAFSA annually; be enrolled in a minimum of 24 credits in an academic year; maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.80; attend learning community meetings; and have satisfactorily completed all developmental courses.

For more information on CCAC's BioMaS Workforce Collaborative program, visit www.ccac.edu/BioMaS.

Emily Balser is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach her at 724-226-4680, emilybalser@tribweb.com or on Twitter @emilybalser.