Four Rivers Career Center in Washington, which offers technical education programs to area students, is among dozens of technical schools awarded $400,000 grants from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). The grants were announced by Gov. Mike Parson this week.

The grant funding is intended to ensure all Missouri students are prepared for success upon graduation and further contribute to developing Missouri’s workforce.

“Career and technical education is critical to our workforce development goals here in the State of Missouri,” Gov. Parson said. “Every day the necessity for a post secondary degree, trade, or industry recognized credential is growing for good-paying jobs across the state, and we want to support Missourians as they seek to learn new skills, especially in our career and technical education programs.” 

Missouri’s Area Career Center Opportunity (MACCO) Grant provides funding to enhance the state’s CTE capacity by providing more opportunities for CTE students while updating and modernizing career centers’ infrastructure and equipment.

MACCO is funded through the American Rescue Plan Act (APRA) and was included in Governor Parson’s Fiscal Year 2023 budget proposal to the General Assembly. MACCO grants local education agencies (LEAs) up to $400,000 for the following purposes:

• Create new high-demand and emerging programs
• Construct a new area career center building
• Renovate or build an addition to an existing area career center
• Update or expand current CTE programs
• Improve infrastructure for safety and equipment needs
• Upgrade equipment and instructional technology

The grant’s funds must be used to enhance or extend area career centers’ capacities to increase students’ knowledge and skills needed to gain employment in current or emerging fields, continue their education, or re-train for new business and industry opportunities. The grant required LEAs to submit an application and match 25 percent of the awarded MACCO funds.