MTI Receives $500K Donnelly Grant for Facilities Management

LEXINGTON – Friday, April 8, 2022 – The Minuteman Regional Vocational Technical School District recently became the only school district to receive funding from the Senator Kenneth J. Donnelly Workforce Success Grant to train adults to work in industries that have identified a strong need for skilled employees.

Minuteman is receiving nearly $500,000 to provide evening courses in facilities management through Minuteman Technical Institute (MTI), the adult career technical education (CTE) division of Minuteman Regional Vocational Technical High School in Lexington. MTI has three business partners – Jones Lang LaSalle, ABM Industries, and Sodexo – to share training resources and provide career pathways for students.

Facility managers are responsible for a range of systems within an organization to ensure they are operating effectively and harmoniously. Oftentimes, facility managers oversee an organization’s largest and most valuable assets, such as property, buildings, inventory, and employee productivity, according to the International Facilities Management Association.

Minuteman received $480,000 from the Donnelly Grant through the Governor’s Workforce Skills Cabinet and the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development (EOLWD). An additional $20,000 was allocated from Commonwealth Corporation, a partner of EOLWD, to support students with childcare and transportation costs.

Since 2020, Minuteman has received more than $1 million worth of workforce development grants through the Governor’s Workforce Skills Cabinet and EOLWD. In addition to facilities management, the grant funding supports courses in carpentry, computer numeric control (CNC) machine operation, and welding.

“Minuteman has helped place dozens of adult students into high-demand careers as a direct result of the Workforce Skills Cabinet grants,” said Edward A. Bouquillon, Superintendent-Director of Minuteman. “Many of these students, who were unemployed or under-employed, now have the skills and training to support themselves and their families through long-term, financially rewarding careers.”

MTI will use the Donnelly Grant to offer a course in facilities management four times through 2024 with up to 20 students in each course. Students will be trained using the International Facilities Management Association (IFMA) curriculum and receive IFMA industry-certified credentials upon successful completion. The Minuteman course will be free for qualified students.

“MTI is especially pleased to have received this grant,” said Nancy Houle, Executive Director of MTI. “As the only post-secondary school in the region to partner with IFMA, our students will receive quality training and mentoring, and will be prepared to step into a great career.”

Minuteman was the only school district to receive funding through the grant that was named after the late state Senator Kenneth J. Donnelly, who represented the Minuteman district towns of Arlington and Lexington. He was succeeded by his longtime chief of staff, Cindy Friedman, who celebrated the news that Minuteman received the Donnelly Grant funding.

“It is so appropriate that a Kenneth Donnelly workforce grant has been given to Minuteman Technical Institute. Minuteman is part of the late senator’s district, and he was a true champion of creating work opportunities for all residents of the Commonwealth,” Senator Friedman said. “Bringing this type of grant ‘home’ to the community he loved is truly special and is a wonderful testament to Senator Donnelly and his great work and dedication.”

MTI offers a 10-month and 15-week courses for adults in trades such as automotive technology, carpentry, CNC machine operation, cosmetology, electrical wiring, plumbing code, and metal fabrication/welding. Courses are held in the evenings and/or Saturday mornings. For more information, visit minutemanti.org.