ATHOL – The Polus Center for Social and Economic Development in Athol is hosting a paraprofessional training program that will prepare participants for employment as teachers aids and special education assistants.
The training program, launching Nov. 2, is being funded through a $500,000 workforce development grant provided by the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development under the Healey-Driscoll Administration. Statewide, $5.9 million in funding has been distributed.
“Across Massachusetts, employers are looking for skilled workers and residents are looking for opportunities to build successful careers” said Gov. Maura Healey in an announcement for the grant. “These grants help us do both by connecting people with the training they need to fill these in-demand jobs.”
The Narragansett Regional School district was a part of the curriculum building team in collaboration with the Polus Center and professors at Fitchburg State College, who will be teaching parts of the program.
“Our partnership with the Polus Center helps align training with our schools’ entry requirements while building a stronger pipeline of qualified candidates.” said Dr. Christopher Casavant, superintendent of schools for the Narragansett Regional School District.
Though the vacant paraprofessional positions within the Narragansett School District have been filled since the start of the school year, Casavant adds, “we anticipate multiple positions to fill over the next two years.”
Established in 1979, the Polus Center has worked in collaboration with regional school districts and Fitchburg State to design a curriculum for the training program that is geared towards the specific skills needed to be successful in the school setting as a paraprofessional.
This training program has been designed from the ground up through feedback of those who have benefited from the guidance of paraprofessionals in the past.
“Narragansett School District was one of the schools that reached out and were active participants in developing this curriculum,” said Katie Moura, program director at the Polus Center. “There’s a higher need for paraprofessionals because there is a bigger emphasis in recent years towards including students with disabilities with their peers and the benefits this inclusion brings.”
In regards to what participants in this program can expect, “You are partnering with people who have vested interest in you getting a job” said Theresa Kane, executive director of the Polus Center. “What is unique about our program is that it is entirely free and the new paraprofessionals can expect 30 days of mentorship in addition to us preparing them for the job interview process.”
The enrollment period is now open and closes at the end of October. The paraprofessional training will be led mostly by professors at Fitchburg State in an online course that will take place five days a week for four hours a day over the span of six weeks.
The course is open to Massachusetts residents over the age of 18 and a background check is required. As the course is primarily online, access to a computer and the internet is necessary. Potential candidates can learn more at poluscenter.org/polus-us/paraprofessional-training. Moura, who is helping run the training program with the Polus Center, can be reached at 978-895-3285.