The overview
For COM, the college received a nearly $325,000 jobs and education for Texas, or JET, grant from the Texas Workforce Commission, or TWC, according to a June 26 news release from the college.
The grant will fund advanced simulation equipment, including:
- Two MamaAnne maternal and birthing simulators, which can make students feel for contractions and assist in a simulated birth
- One SimBaby manikin
- 25 hospital beds with built-in scales and alarms
Both the MamaAnne simulator and SimBaby manikin can bleed, sweat, talk and cry, according to the news release.
“Even though our students do a labor and delivery rotation in the hospital, they don't always get to see a live birth,”COM Nursing Program Director Rachel Fano said in the news release. “When our male students go into the hospital, the family or the woman may not want a male student in there. This allows them to still get that experience.”
What else?
San Jacinto College also received a $109,000 JET grant from the TWC to train 20 students in radiologic technology, according to a June 12 news release from the college.
These grant funds will provide equipment to attain the skills needed to pursue careers as radiologic technologists and technicians, the news release noted.
“The JET grant will provide San Jacinto College with state-of-the-art equipment to train our students,” Rhonda Bell, dean of health and natural sciences, said in the news release. “This ensures our graduates are well-prepared to excel in the fast-paced, high-demand field of medical imaging, meeting the critical needs of our region and beyond.”
Also of note
The JET grant is part of a broader initiative announced by Governor Greg Abbott, who awarded more than $15 million in career training grants to 60 Texas higher education institutions and independent school districts, according to San Jacinto College’s news release.
“As Texas’ economy continues to grow, it is critical that we invest in our future workforce,” Abbott said in a June 16 news release. “This $15 million in career training grants will support career and technical training programs for thousands of Texas students across our great state.”
