New Woonsocket Education Center officially opens

GOV. DANIEL J. MCKEE, center, helps with local state education and business officials cut the ribbon on the new Woonsocket Education Center. / COURTESY R.I. OFFICE OF GOV. DANIEL J. MCKEE
GOV. DANIEL J. MCKEE, center, helps with local state education and business officials cut the ribbon on the new Woonsocket Education Center. / COURTESY R.I. OFFICE OF GOV. DANIEL J. MCKEE

WOONSOCKET – State-elected and education officials on Tuesday formally cut the ribbon on the new Woonsocket Education Center that has officially opened at 115 Main St.

The new education center, which is managed by the R.I. Office of the Postsecondary Commissioner and modeled after the Westerly Education Center that opened in 2017 in southern Rhode Island, will offer educational classes in order to boost workforce growth in the region, according to Gov. Daniel J. McKee’s office. The governor’s office said many of the trainings the center will be offered for free and most will provide employment placement assistance.

McKee’s office said the Community College of Rhode Island, Rhode Island College and New England Institute of Technology are already providing workforce training, associate’s-level, and master’s-level courses at the Woonsocket center. Additionally, the center features instructional classrooms, computer lab space and a CVS Health Workforce Innovation Talent Center that features a simulated CVS Pharmacy retail environment for hands-on skills training.

CVS Health Workforce Initiatives Executive Director Ernest Dupont said Tuesday in a statement that CVS Health Corp. is committed to enhancing workforce development opportunities in every community that the prominent pharmacy and health retailer has a presence in. He said every talent center CVS opens is unique, but each one reflects the needs of the community.

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“Our center provides a holistic approach to workforce development that will activate our dynamic partners here in Woonsocket and throughout our business enterprise to break down barriers to employment,” Dupont said. “We are proud to deliver this community resource to our hometown and provide participants the tools they need to be successful in the workplace – and more importantly, in life.”

The R.I. Department of Labor and Training, R.I. Office of Veterans Services and R.I. National Guard are also leasing space at the center – located on the third floor of a former mill building – and extending their employment services deep within the city, McKee’s office said.

Several donors that contributed to the center include the Papitto Opportunity Connection; AAA Northeast; Amica Companies Foundation; the city of Woonsocket; CVS, Donna Dubinsky, In Memory of Max and Rose Goldfine; Fidelity Investments Inc.; FM Global Foundation; The Murray Charitable Foundation; and The Warren Alpert Foundation.

“Our state has a responsibility to make sure that Rhode Islanders have the ability to qualify for the good jobs that our businesses are creating,” McKee said in a statement. “As a former small business owner, I appreciate the economic impact of and essential need for a talented workforce enriched by excellent training and education. Investing in Rhode Islanders earns dividends for small businesses, large businesses and spurs economic development.”

R.I. Postsecondary Commissioner Shannon Gilkey said in a statement collective impact of the collaboration between higher education institutions and the state “is the tremendous improvement in access to workforce training and education, which in turn lead to a highly skilled workforce and a more robust economy.”

James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on Twitter at @James_Bessette.

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