The Chester Trades Education Project is a tuition-free program that offers Chester residents post-secondary education and training in carpentry at DCCC. Courtesy DCCC.
Delaware County Community College is pleased to announce it has received a $25,000 grant from Endless™ Pools, a locally based business unit of Masco Corporation, to support the Chester Trades Education Project (CTEP) at the College.
The grant is part of the Masco Million Differences campaign, an initiative in which Masco Corporation, through its business units, allocates $1,000,000 of its annual philanthropic funding to support organizations across the country that are working to break down barriers to diversity and inclusion in America’s corporate workforce through education or career resources.
Endless Pools, headquartered in Aston, PA, is a leading manufacturer of swim-in-place pools and swim spas, sold in over 30 countries worldwide. “As a proud, Delco-based business, we are happy to contribute to an organization that supports a community in our own backyard. We have many employees living in and around Chester and look forward to growing our partnership with CTEP in the future,” said Darren Pearse, General Manager of Endless Pools.
CTEP is a tuition-free, two-year program that provides students who are residents of the city of Chester with post-secondary education and training in Carpentry and introductions to career pathways in the construction industry. It enables students to earn a Certificate of Proficiency in Residential Carpentry as well as an Associate in Applied Science degree in the Skilled Trades.
A collaboration between the College, Riverside Futures Community Development Corporation, the Chester Housing Authority and the Rotary clubs of Chester and Swarthmore, CTEP plays a key role in helping families in Chester achieve long-term economic security—by helping Chester students overcome both academic and socioeconomic barriers and set them on a path to success.
“This grant will allow us to grow our efforts to serve residents of Chester with this very important and life-changing program,” said Marta Yera Cronin, Ed.D., president, Delaware County Community College. “We are grateful to Masco and Endless Pools for their support in our mission to provide equitable access to higher education to students in Delaware and Chester Counties.”
All tuition for the students is paid for by the Kelleher Connect Career Opportunity Fund at the College, which is made possible through the generosity of philanthropists Andrew and Sharon Kelleher. The first four classes in each annual cohort are offered in Chester; students then move on to the College’s Marple Campus and the 32,000-sq.-ft. Jerome S. Parker Advanced Technology Center.
“This initiative creates opportunities within the City of Chester, equipping students with skills that pave the way for sustainable careers with family-supporting incomes,” said Karen Kozachyn, Ed.D., vice president of Workforce and Economic Development at DCCC.
First launched in the fall of 2021, the CTEP program accepts a new cohort annually of approximately 15 students. Recruitment for the fall 2024 semester is currently in progress. For more information about CTEP at DCCC, please call 610-355-7156.
