A state grant is being put to good use at the auto technician and welding programs at Lynn Vocational Technical Institute. 

Late last year, Lynn Tech received a $200,000 state Career Technical Initiative grant to offer classes in automotive technology and welding for adults.

CTI Program Director David Gagner said the class began last week and there are 24 students enrolled currently, split evenly between both courses. 

The courses being offered will address critical labor shortage needs, Gagner said. 

There’s a known labor shortage, it’s been going on for years and our workforce is getting older,” Gagner said. “By training people and getting them into these positions, we can help try to alleviate some of that.” 

There is a need for all trade trade positions, Gagner said, not just auto technician and welding trades. 

The CTI program is working in conjunction with MassHire and the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development. The Commonwealth Corporation is the facilitator of the grant, Gagner said. 

The courses are 200 hours each and students meet three days a week from 4 to 8 p.m. 

Gagner said the students have been very engaged so far. 

“We’re in the very beginning stages of starting this, they’re doing this all over the state,” Gagner said. “We’re a little late to the game here but I think that if we successfully run this program, we hope to run it for years to come. As long as the funding is there to keep running these programs, we’d love to be able to provide services to the community.”

The CTI grant program partners with vocational high schools to provide career training and technical skills to adults, especially unemployed and underemployed individuals from underserved populations.

Gagner said the program aims to fill holes in the skills gap.

“We have four high schools in the city but we can’t take everybody here so the more people we can help from the city that didn’t have access to this, the better,” he said. 

Upon completion graduates will receive industry recognized credentials and a diploma. Gagner said he will be expanding the program. He is in the process of applying for grants to continue the program next fall.