Grant Will Help Train

Nurses for Windemere

The state has announced the award of a $104,974 workforce training fund grant to Windemere Nursing and Rehabilitation Center and Martha’s Vineyard Hospital.

The grant will fund a program to train 10 employees to become licensed practical nurses in 10 months. In addition to the grant, Windemere will fund $244,644 of the training program. 

Training will encompass study through the Upper Cape Technical Regional School’s licensed practical nurse program in Bourne. The progam also will allow an instructor to be on location on the Vineyard, which will ensure that students can continue to learn and continue to care for Windemere clients during the nearly year-long program. 

Windemere administrator Ken Chisholm said that the students represent a broad cross-section of Windemere staff, including an emergency medical technician and housekeeper, as well as clinical nursing assistants. Each student makes a commitment to work at Windemere for two years after the end of the grant. Windemere is a 81-bed facility.

According to the most recent job vacancy survey from the state department of workforce development, nearly 700 licensed practical nurse vacancies exist in Massachusetts, part of approximately 5,000 nursing vacancies across the state.

Funding came through the state Workforce Training Fund, which provides businesses and labor organizations with matching grants of up to $250,000 to finance worker training.