Waterbury, Conn. - In desperate budget times, Naugatuck Valley Community College has added a page to its “silver lining playbook” for retraining the area’s future manufacturing workforce. In an effort to help students progress through the College’s new two-semester advanced manufacturing technology certification program, the College has secured $60,000 in grant awards to finance the non-credit portion of students’ coursework in the program’s inaugural year.

The latest grant comes from The Leever Foundation in the amount of $20,000. The Connecticut Community Foundation (CCF) awarded $10,000 to the College in December and an anonymous donor gave $30,000 in the fall to support the program’s first 12 students.

"The Leever Foundation’s support for the Advanced Manufacturing Center reflects the legacy of our founders, Harold and Ruth Ann Leever, who believed in giving individuals a helping hand so they can reach their potential and contribute back to our community,” said Thomas M. Leever, chairman of The Leever Foundation.

Overall, the awards will support approximately 57 students, aged 18 to 68, as they complete the program. For more information on the non-credit portion of the manufacturing program, see: Connecticut Community Foundation Awards $10K Grant to Support Job Ready Workforce Program at NVCC.