2017 - Page 12 of 24

Finding the Perfect Career

July 20, 2017/in Archive/by review

Andrew Milton, Respiratory Care

For much of his 20s, Andrew Milton of Salisbury grappled with the same question that so many people his age struggle to answer: “What do I want to do with my life?” With admittedly few passions or goals, he drifted from an initial attempt at NECC’s general studies program, to working a job for a year, to enrollment at Liberty University. All these situations ended the same way: with his lack of interest causing him to move on.

Things changed, however, when his older sister gave birth to a baby girl with dangerous health complications — which, among other things, required her to have a tracheotomy and be on a ventilator. While it was a harrowing experience, Andrew says he was moved by watching the respiratory therapists do everything they could to save his niece.

“That’s when I realized these people have a career where you can actually make a difference,” he says. “I think that’s what made things finally click.”

Andrew soon enrolled in Northern Essex’s Associate Respiratory Care Program, landing part-time work at Lowell General Hospital, while still a student. He happily discovered he had chosen the right career.

He graduated with honors from the program in May and stepped right into a job at the hospital. He plans to pursue a bachelor’s degree in respiratory care online while working.

“It took me a little longer to find my path,” he says. “But now that I’ve found it, I’m only going onward and upward from here.”

“It took me a little longer to find my path, but now that I’ve found it, I’m only going onward and upward from here.”

For more information on the Respiratory Care Program at Northern Essex, contact Enrollment Services, admissions@necc.mass.edu or 978-556-3700.

Dominican School Recruits NECC Alumni for Teaching Program

July 19, 2017/in Archive/by review

Dominican students walk into the Liceo Cientific, The Dominican Republic’s first and only public school with a STEM focus.

A school for gifted students nestled in the northern hills of the Dominican Republic is actively recruiting Northern Essex Community College alumni and faculty to apply for fellowships to teach for a semester or a year.

This is a new partnership between the Provincial Technical Office of Salcedo and Northern Essex thanks to a chance meeting between an NECC administrator and a member of The Civil Society of the Hermanas Mirabal Province.

First, the school…

Liceo Cientific Dr. Miguel Canela Lazaro, which opened in 2013, is the Dominican Republic’s first and only public school with a science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) focus. It serves 400 academically talented students, from local rural communities, in grades 7 through 12. It is a “green” campus located in an abandoned warehouse in the Province of Salcedo. It employs more than 40 individuals and infuses the local economy with millions in pesos. As a sustainable campus, it harvests
rainwater, composts organic matter, produces its own food, and builds its own furniture using locally produced wood. All students are taught English to prepare them to attend universities internationally.

A student works with plants at the Dominican school that focuses on STEM subjects.

Now the recruitment…

Northern Essex and the Provincial Technical Office of Salcedo entered into a memorandum of understanding to actively recruit NECC faculty for sabbaticals, NECC alumni who now hold bachelor’s degrees or higher for faculty fellows, and alumni with an associate degree , in any major, for teaching fellows where they will assist a lead teacher in the classroom.

The program will accept up to three individuals for these positions which will begin in August. The positions come with free housing, transportation, some meals, and a stipend. Speaking Spanish is not a requirement. Most students at the school speak Spanish, English, and French.

This partnership evolved after Dr. Noemi Custodia-Lora, NECC’s vice president of Lawrence campus and community relations, visited the Dominican Republic and met the country’s former vice president Dr. Jaime David Fernández Mirabal, nephew of the famed Mirabal sisters, heroines of the anti-Trujillo movement. Mirabal was one of the emblematic figures in the development of the Hermanas Mirabal Province. During a conversation with Custodia-Lora he reminisced about visiting relatives in Lawrence and shopping on Essex Street and eating at Bishop’s Restaurant.

“He expressed an interest in creating a collaboration between the school and NECC’s students many of whom are Dominican or of Dominican descent,” said Custodia-Lora.

NECC graduates with associate degrees can work as teacher’s aides assisting with extracurricular activities and service learning projects. They will receive U.S. $300 a month stipend. NECC graduates who now hold a bachelor’s degree or higher or NECC faculty can apply for Faculty fellowships. They will

NECC English Professor Barbara Stachniewicz visits an historic site in the Dominican Republic during a recent visit.

teach core classes and assist in curriculum assessment and improvement and serve as mentors to local Dominican teachers. No teaching license is required. They will receive U.S. $1,000 a month stipend.

Northern Essex English Professor Barbara Stachniewicz, who visited the school earlier this year, hopes to return in the fall of 2018 and spend her sabbatical as a faculty fellow.

“The students, faculty and staff at the school are fabulous,” she said. “I loved meeting them and am looking forward to a sabbatical where I will learn much more about the Dominican Republic and will be able to work with the faculty at the Liceo.”

Custodia-Lora says this partnership is beneficial to the students of the school who are taught by teachers of different cultures and to NECC students whose professors return to Northern Essex with a better understanding of Caribbean and Latino culture.

“The students will feel more connected to their professors when they share an understanding of the culture,” she said.

For additional information contact Analuz Garcia at agarcia@necc.mass.edu

NECC President Lane Glenn Updates Haverhill City Council

July 18, 2017/in Archive/by review

Members of the 2017 NECC/Methuen Police Academy stand at attention during their recent graduation ceremony on the Haverhill campus.

ValleyWorks Career Center, a multi-million dollar Hospitality and Culinary Arts Institute, and thriving law enforcement academies were just a few of the topics Northern Essex Community College President Lane Glenn touched upon in what has become an annual, courtesy update to the Haverhill City Council.

Glenn was introduced to speak to the council by Councilor Mary Ellen Daly O’Brien, who is also a member of the NECC Board of Trustees.

He noted that with roots in Haverhill that go back to 1961 when Northern Essex opened its doors in the former Greenleaf Elementary School in Bradford with just 181 students, it has grown considerably. It now has close to 6,000 students enrolled in more than 70 degree and certificate programs, with a growing Lawrence campus in addition to the Haverhill campus.

ValleyWorks & Hospitality/Culinary Institute

Northern Essex has been actively pursuing a number of new initiatives including assuming the operation of the ValleyWorks Career Center with locations in both Haverhill and Lawrence. NECC has played host to the Center for the past few years, but hopes to return it to the Haverhill downtown.

In addition, Northern Essex just this week put out a Request for Proposals from developers for space for both the Career Center and for a new multi-million dollar Hospitality and Culinary Arts Institute in partnership with Endicott College in Beverly and Haverhill’s Whittier Regional Vocational Technical High School.

Academies

On Friday, July 14, Northern Essex celebrated the fourth graduating class of the Northern Essex Community College/Methuen Police Academy. More than 200 officers have graduated since it began in 2015 and are working in police departments across the state, he said. The academy, was launched, in part, because of a conversation he had with Haverhill Police Chief Alan DeNaro, who mentioned that officers in the city would wait months for openings in academies far away. NECC worked with Chief DeNaro, other area police departments, and the Municipal Police Training Council to create a local academy that has “quickly become one of the most popular and successful academies in the state.”

In addition, new Essex County Sheriff Kevin Coppinger, renewed the contract with NECC to offer Corrections Academies. So, the program started by former Sheriff Frank Cousins continues on the Haverhill campus.

The main staircase in the Spurk Building is one of the many areas that received an update.

Building Renovations

Glenn was happy to report that after a year “offline” the Spurk Building, the main classroom building and one of the oldest buildings on campus, constructed in 1971, is about to reopen following a $15 million renovation project. Improvements include new windows, heating and air conditioning systems, updated entryways, and handicap accessible bathrooms.

Now that Spurk is nearly ready to be occupied, the Dimitry Building on the Lawrence campus is going offline to undergo a similar face-lift, Glenn explained. In addition, NECC’s Workforce Development & Corporate Relations division, which was most recently located at the Riverwalk in Lawrence, has moved to the first floor of the neighboring Opportunity Works building in Haverhill.

Competency-based Education

Last year, Northern Essex was the first public college in the state to offer a “competency-based” certificate. Competency-based learning allows students to demonstrate what they know so they can move through classes if not entire programs at their own speed. Now, Northern Essex is taking the lead on a grant project from the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education that will create an online, competency-based degree in Early Childhood Education. There is an early childhood education “crisis” in Massachusetts, he noted. “There simply aren’t enough early childhood educators,” he said. Now students can access the program entirely online. Northern Essex is rapidly becoming the model for this program, Glenn said.

The 2017 Haverhill High School graduates of NECC’s Early College Program participated in a graduation ceremony in January.

Early College

Lastly, Glenn told the Council about a graduation held on the Haverhill campus for 28 Haverhill High School students who completed the NECC Early College program. Combined, they earned 721 college credits for an estimated cost savings of $1 million in private college tuition.

He explained that the program has been further revised for this fall – all Early College courses will be offered on campus so the students will have the opportunity to have a full college experience including joining clubs, using the gym, library and tutoring centers, and participating in student engagement activities.

Councilor Joseph Bevilacqua, whose late uncle Francis J. Bevilacqua, a former state representative, was instrumental in the founding of Northern Essex, said he was proud of his family[‘s involvement in creating “an alternative opportunity for so many”.

NECC Graduates 46 from Police Academy

July 18, 2017/in Archive/by review

Graduates of the NECC/Methuen Police Academy file into the NECC Sports & Fitness Center.

Of the 46 recruits to graduate from the Northern Essex Community College/Methuen Police Academy on Friday, July 14, during the academy’s fourth commencement ceremony, 40 already have jobs in law enforcement with more than two dozen departments.

Haverhill resident and Northern Essex Community College alumnus Kevin DeCarvalho was one of those recent graduates. The 23-year-old graduated from Northern Essex’s criminal justice program in 2015, before heading off to pursue a bachelor’s in criminal justice at Fitchburg State College. DeCarvalho had no idea he would be back on NECC’s Haverhill campus attending the police academy in just two short years, but the Brazilian native, who is fluent in Portuguese, was sworn in as a Haverhill police officer in December of 2016, and began the 24-week police academy in January.

“It was challenging, but nothing we didn’t expect,” he said of the academy. “After 24 weeks I’m excited to start working as a police officer.”

NECC President Lane Glenn addresses the police academy graduates and guests.

Patrick Fleming, a third generation Methuen police officer, also graduated from the academy. The 26-year-old Fleming, who worked as a reserve police officer for nearly two years, has a full-time position with the Methuen Police Department along with fellow graduate Joshua Waller. Fleming, a 2010 Methuen High School graduate, holds an associate degree in criminal justice from Middlesex Community College.

“I never had any doubts about becoming a police officer,” he said. “I always looked up to my grandfather and father.”

Katelyn Tully of Haverhill, who is following in the footsteps of her dad, a Lawrence police officer, is one of nine U.S. veterans to graduate from this class. She served in the Army National Guard for six years. The 23-year-old is one of five graduates to join the Haverhill police department.

Carlos Aguirre, 34, of North Andover began dreaming about becoming a police officer when he was just a teen at Lawrence High School. After a 12-year career with the Merrimack Valley Regional Transit Authority (MVRTA) he decided to pursue that dream. Bi-lingual in Spanish, Aguirre, whose brother is a Massachusetts state trooper, is one of seven academy graduates to begin field officer training with the Lawrence Police Department.

Graduates smile for the camera following graduation.

All the graduates completed an intensive 24-week program that covered constitutional law, prevention
and intervention, community policing, domestic violence, elder abuse, victims’ rights, and other topics. All training took place on the Haverhill Campus except for fire arms training and emergency driving techniques which were held at off-campus locations.

Northern Essex manages the academy with guidance from an advisory board that includes police chiefs from Amesbury, Haverhill, Methuen, Lawrence, and North Andover. The NECC/Methuen Police Academy is authorized by the Municipal Police Training Committee.

The academy opened in February 2015 in response to a shortage of academies in the area. At the time, Haverhill Police Chief Alan DeNaro, said that the Merrimack Valley has needed a regional police academy for over 25 years. “By partnering with NECC, we will be able to move quickly and efficiently train our new recruits as they embark on their chosen profession.”

The graduation ceremony included remarks by State Senator Kathleen O’Connor Ives; Dan Rivera, Lawrence mayor; Daniel Zivkovich, executive director of the Municipal Police Training Committee; Lane Glenn NECC president. Class President Julianne Murray, who is joining the tufts University Police Department, gave the class address.

O’Connor Ives commented that the success of the police academy has been “remarkable”. As a freshman senator she took on the issue of additional money for police training. Additional funding was given, she said, but it’s important to hold the line. She asked those in attendance to contact their elected officials to let them know funding for police training matters.

She congratulated them on their sacrifice, dedication, and commitment to becoming police officers. “Because of you and your commitment, I know we will be safer.”

Lawrence Mayor Daniel Rivera said that being a police officer today is not easy. As officers, he told them, they will be dealing with individuals with mental health issues, opioid issues and homelessness. He closed by quoting selected lines from British Nobel laureate Rudyard Kipling’s “If”…”If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you… If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, or walk with kings—nor lose the common touch…”.

Zivkovich offered them a four point challenge – to get involved in their community; to serve with honor; to serve with courage; and to serve with commitment to community, the profession, and themselves. “Don’t ever settle to be good enough…there is no room for mediocrity.” He urges them to keep themselves, physically, morally, and mentally fit.

President Lane Glenn said the success of the academy was a source of great pride for Northern Essex whose mission, in part, is to provide a high quality education. “I hope we provided you with a rich, rewarding academy experience.” On a lighter note, he agreed with Zivkovich regarding remain physically fit and invited them to return to run with the President’s Running Club.

The class president address was given by student officer Juliane Murray of the Tufts University Police Department, who recounted their early days at the academy. She noted that the class was comprised of an eclectic group of student officers including a baker, an ordained pastor, individuals with master’s degrees, and division 1 athletes.

Collectively they lost 275 pounds from their physical fitness training.

She said they are graduating stronger, more knowledgeable, and more confident.

“It’s time for us to go out there and protect and serve,” she said.

The NECC/Methuen Police Academy will enroll its fifth class this fall. Due to its success, the program has grown and the academy now trains Essex County corrections officers as well.

For more information, contact George Moriarty at gmoriarty@necc.mass.edu or 978 556-1224.

Here is the list of the 46 2017 Police Academy Graduates.

Here is a list of the awards given at graduation.

June Trustee Notes

July 17, 2017/in Archive/by review

Mobile Advising Unit Meets Students Where They Are

Because Northern Essex students are busy people, often balancing their studies with work and family responsibilities, finding the time to visit one of the Career Planning and Advising Centers (CPAC) on the Haverhill or Lawrence campus can be a challenge.

That’s why advising staff launched a mobile advising unit in December of 2015.

With the mobile advising unit, advisors can set up where students are congregating, such as the Spurk Building lobby or the atrium in the Dimitry Building. Students can register for classes and have program or course questions answered in between classes, making it much more convenient for them.

Jayne Ducharme, who is the coordinator of academic advising in Lawrence, presented on the college’s mobile advising to trustees at the June 14 meeting, along with Stephanie Wares, coordinator of academic advising in Haverhill. The two say they discovered mobile advising after researching the best strategies for reaching students.

Since the launch in December of 2015, academic advising has conducted eight mobile advising sessions, four in Haverhill and four in Lawrence, and 225 students have been seen.

Added benefits include increased visibility for academic advising and more interaction between advising and faculty and staff.

Challenges include finding the resources to staff the mobile advising unit along with the CPAC centers and the difficulty of conducting in-depth advising sessions in a busy, open area.

Moving forward, mobile advising will focus on evening students, since this group seemed to get the most benefit.

Board Approves Operating Budget

The board unanimously approved a $44,566,482 operating budget for FY2018 which begins July 1, 2017.

Creating the budget was challenging, according to President Lane Glenn, who said that the college had half a million dollars less than they did last year, primarily due to enrollment dips, increased costs, and flat state support.

“We’re in the same pickle as our sister institutions as far as enrollments, which are trending down across the country,” he said. “We’re focusing on doing a better job of attracting and maintaining our core students as well as increasing our outreach to high school students and international students and we plan to turn this around.”

To offset the budget shortages, the board voted unanimously on fees for the coming academic year, accepting the $9 per credit increase that was proposed by the Audit and Finance Committee of the trustees.

The increase will impact college fee-regular (from $168 to $177 per credit), the college fee-allied health courses (from $248 to $257 per credit), and the high cost course fee (fees currently range from $5 to $15 per credit and they will increase by $2 a credit).

“We don’t like to increase fees, which is why we kept the increase small and within the guidelines of the grant funds that most of our students receive,” said Marianne Paley Nadel, chair of the trustee’s Audit and Finance Committee.

Report of the Administration

Strategic Plan: Integrated Student Experience

Each month President Glenn highlights one of the four strategic goals of NECC 2020, the college’s strategic plan. This month he provided an update on the Integrated Student Experience goal which is to design and deliver an integrated, structured, and inclusive student experience across campuses that maximizes student success.

Glenn reported that the college is planning to develop a single student support hub on each of the campuses that will co-locate student support services.

Plans are also in place to create five campus centers, each of which will focus on a specific major and invite students to gather and network, and a revamped orientation process that’s “deeper, broader, and more impactful.”

Haverhill Campus Update

The Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance (DCAMM) is issuing an RFP for space in downtown Haverhill to house NECC’s Culinary Arts Certificate, planned for 2018, and Associate of Science Degree in Business Management: Hospitality Option, which is currently offered at the college.

The college recently received $2 million in state funding for this project in the FY2018 budget which is in addition to $1 million in the FY2017 state budget and $150,000 in Workforce Skills Capital Grants from Governor Baker’s administration to purchase equipment.

Learn more.

Lawrence Campus Update

The Dimitry Building (45 Franklin St, Lawrence) will be undergoing renovations October 2017 through December 2018. When complete, the building will feature new windows, new siding, parking lot improvements, and new and beautifully landscaped outdoor space. The renovation is anticipated to cost $6.5 million and it is being funded by the Massachusetts Division of Capital Asset Management.

To learn more about the Dimitry Renovation process, visit the website.

New CIS Option will Fill Student and Employer Need

Networking and security courses are the most popular course electives among computer science majors, and, starting in the fall of 2018, Northern Essex will offer a Networking and Security option as part of its Associate Degree in Computer and Information Sciences.

Trustees voted unanimously to approve the new major, which will address employment trends. According to a Computerworld survey shared with trustees, the demand for security skills is expected to grow by 26 percent in the next 12 months and the demand for networking skills by 15 percent during the same time period.

Northern Essex is currently graduating students with these skills and this new program will make the pathway more clearly defined.

Three Faculty Hires

Trustees voted unanimously to approve three faculty hires: Kimberly Foisy, assistant professor, Nursing; Eileen Pappalardo, assistant professor, Nursing; and Dr. Hilmar von Strunck, assistant professor, Behavioral Sciences. All three are replacing recent retirees.

Area Businessman Joins NECC Foundation

July 12, 2017/in Archive/by review

Mark Van Weelden of Covanta has joined the NECC Foundation

Local businessman Mark Van Weelden, was recently appointed to the Northern Essex Community College Foundation Board.

Van Weelden is business manager for the Greater Boston, New Hampshire, and Maine district for Covanta the Haverhill Resource Recovery facility located at 100 Recovery Way, Haverhill. The facility processes 1,650 tons per day of solid waste, generating up to 49 megawatts of renewable energy.

A resident of Eliot, Maine, Van Weelden is a U.S. Navy veteran and a board member of the Environmental Business Counsel, New England.

As the child of a retired school teacher who served as an executive dean at Sauk Valley Community College and McHenry County Community College in Illinois, Van Weelden says, “The importance of a strong community college is vital to both the local and state education system. NECC has a proven track record in providing vital educational options to students before and after graduation.”

The NECC Foundation, Inc. is a nonprofit organization that provides support for the college and its students. Incorporated in 1972, the Foundation assists NECC by making connections with the business community, foundations, and other potential revenue sources. It additionally hosts fundraisers and special events.

Funds raised are used for student scholarships, equipment purchases, program revitalization efforts, faculty and staff development, and other needs as they arise and as approved by the Foundation Board of Directors. Board members are appointed to multi-year terms.

Presentation on the Science of Happiness at Hampstead and Peabody Libraries

July 7, 2017/in Archive/by review

NECC philosophy professor Elizabeth Casanave

Do you ever find yourself wishing you could feel happier?

Many of us do and we think we will feel happier as a result of something – such as finding a new job, finishing a project, losing 10 pounds, etc. However, psychologists and neurologists are now realizing that happiness can be more readily achieved through changing the way we think.

Lizzie Linn Casanave, professor of philosophy at Northern Essex Community College, will explain this revolutionary concept and provide you with practical tools for achieving this new mindset at at free presentations at the Hampstead Public Library, 9 Mary E. Clark Drive, Hampstead, NH, on Monday, July 24, at 7 p.m. and the Peabody Institute Library-South Branch, 78 Lynn St, Peabody on Thursday, July 27, at 7 p.m.

For more information on the Hampstead event, call 603-329-6411 and for more information on the Peabody event and to register, call 978-531-3380.

Casanave has been teaching Philosophy for over 10 years. She received her BA in Philosophy/Religion and World Perspectives and her MA in Critical and Creative Thinking. She is also the Study Abroad Short Course Coordinator at NECC. She currently teaches Practical Logic, Introduction to Philosophy, Introduction to Ethics and First Year Seminar. Her curriculum also includes a workshop on “The Science of Happiness” which looks at happiness through the lens of positive psychology.

Her presentation is supported by the NECC’s Speakers’ Bureau. For more information on the college’s Speakers’ Bureau, or call 978-556-3862 or email speakersbureau@necc.mass.edu.

Chemistry Professor Shares Benefits of Chocolate at Weeks Library in Greenland

July 7, 2017/in Archive/by review

Professor Mike Cross

There’s little doubt that chocolate is a delicious treat and typically seen as a guilty pleasure but did you know that chocolate can also be healthy?

According to Professor of Chemistry Mike Cross at the Northern Essex Community College (NECC) in Haverhill and Lawrence, MA chocolate might just be the “perfect indulgence.”

With high quality versions of chocolate carrying over 500+ natural chemicals and more antioxidants then a bowl of blueberries … chocolate can increase feelings of well-being, reduce high blood pressure, relax blood vessels and more, says Cross.

In a free presentation called “Chocolate, The Perfect Indulgence,” Professor Cross will share his knowledge as both a chemist and a passionate lover of chocolate at Weeks Public Library, 36 Post Rd, Greenland, NH on Wednesday, July 26 from 7 to 8 pm.

Cross holds a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of Utah where he specialized in oxidative lesions in DNA and RNA.

His presentation is supported by the NECC’s Speakers’ Bureau. For more information on the college’s Speakers’ Bureau visit, www.necc.mass.edu/speakers-bureau, call 978 556-3862 or email speakersbureau@necc.mass.edu.

For additional information on the July 26 presentation, contact the library, 603 436-8548.

NECC Graduate Recognized by Lawrence City Council

July 3, 2017/in Archive/by andrea

Noemi Custodia-Lora, NECC’s vice president of the Lawrence Campus and community relations; NECC grad Jasmine Garver, and Lawrence City Councilor Marc LaPlante.

The Lawrence City Council recently presented Lawrence resident and Northern Essex Community College graduate Jasmine Garver with a special citation based on her academic success and demonstrated leadership. The citation was presented by Councilor Marc Laplante.

A 2011 graduate of Greater Lawrence Technical School, Garver earned a 3.76 GPA and a degree in Liberal Arts: Psychology Option at the Northern Essex Commencement on Saturday, May 20.

At commencement she honored her parents, decorating her graduation cap with roses and the inscription “For You Mom and Dad RIP”.

Jasmine Garver decorated her graduation cap in honor of her parents who died when she was young.

Orphaned at a young age, Garver admits she had a challenging childhood. She grew up in Anchorage, Alaska and moved to Lawrence when she was 10 to live with an aunt after her mother died one year and her father the next.

Based on what she experienced as a child, Garver wants to help other families who are going through difficult situations. She has already transferred to Merrimack College where she is working on her bachelor’s degree in psychology. After completing her bachelor’s degree, she plans to go on for a master’s in social work, and ultimately become a counselor.

Garver supports herself financially and she works full-time while attending college at Tripoli’s Bakery, a Lawrence favorite, where she covers the counter and decorates cakes.

Garver was active in NECC’s Pathways to Academic and Career Excellence (PACE), a federally funded student support program which encourages student success and transfer.

Also honored at the June 20 Lawrence City Council meeting was Hanhnguyen Nguyen of Lawrence, a recent graduate of Notre Dame Cristo High School who will begin college at Bentley University in the fall.

Northern Essex to Manage Employment Centers

June 28, 2017/in Archive/by review

Northern Essex Community College has been selected by the Merrimack Valley Workforce Investment Board to assume management and operational responsibilities for the ValleyWorks One-Stop Career Center, one of 16 regional employment centers across Massachusetts.

The center has locations in Haverhill and Lawrence and serves over 10,000 job seekers and 700 employers each year, providing employment and training services for youth, unemployed and under-employed adults, and laid-off workers, as well as recruitment and incumbent worker training for local companies. Funding for the center, currently $2 million per year, is provided by the U.S. Department of Labor, through the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, which provides resources to states and local workforce investment boards.

George Moriarty, NECC’s executive director of workforce development and corporate relations

The centers will be managed by NECC’s Center for Corporate and Community Education, led by George Moriarty. He has previous experience with Career Centers and with the state’s Office of Labor and Workforce Development. Moriarty is uniquely positioned to build on the organizational strengths of the college and the center in order to better serve residents of the Merrimack Valley.

The approximately 26 staff currently employed by ValleyWorks will continue in their positions. As part of the management contract, Northern Essex will open a satellite location in downtown Haverhill as well as continuing to provide a full-service center at the existing 255 Essex St, Lawrence location. ValleyWorks will maintain its satellite location on Northern Essex’s Haverhill Campus until the downtown Haverhill location is operational.

ValleyWorks serves 15 cities and towns across the region: Lawrence, Methuen, Andover, North Andover, Haverhill, Georgetown, Merrimack, Amesbury, Newbury, Newburyport, Salisbury, West Newbury, Rowley, Boxford, and Groveland.

This new partnership will more closely connect career center clients with the academic programs that Northern Essex offers and bring new resources which will help NECC with its career development initiatives.

For additional information, contact Moriarty at gmoriarty@necc.mass.edu or call 978-556-3061.

Finding the Perfect Career

Dominican School Recruits NECC Alumni for Teaching Program

NECC President Lane Glenn Updates Haverhill City Council

NECC Graduates 46 from Police Academy

June Trustee Notes