Ivy Tech Community College’s Wabash Site has again received a grant from the Pauline J. Barker Educational Trust. The $35,138 grant will fund labs for healthcare, information technology networking, and industrial technology. This is the fifth year the College has received funds from this trust, used to promote industrial skills training.

The Wabash Site has never had a Healthcare Specialist lab, and the grant will allow the College to offer classes including certified nursing assistant, phlebotomy, and electrocardiography. It will also fund equipment, transportation vouchers, tutoring, and scholarships for School of Information Technology students.

These funds don’t benefit only the Wabash Site, but the entire community.

“These are areas where skilled workers are in short supply and high demand,” Wabash Site director Pamella Guthrie says. “The program provided more than $20,000 in the last year to Wabash County students and has funded students in four specialized industrial classes.”

Since 2003, the trust has provided more than $600,000 toward helping Wabash County adults attain the education and skills needed to succeed in the workplace in areas including technology, science, and nursing. As the manager of the Wabash’s Rock City Café for many years, Barker saw the need for adult education in the community. Her decision to form a trust for adult students helps the region reach its Big Goal, which aims to increase the percent of northeast Indiana residents with a degree or certificate by 2025.

Media Opportunity

Members of the media are invited to a special check presentation

TIME: 3:30 p.m.
DATE: June 29
LOCATION: Wabash Site, 277 N. Thorne St., Wabash