Chippewa Valley Technical College has always had a strong health care program. Now it’s about to get stronger: CVTC will receive $20 million in federal grants to help it and the rest of the state’s tech schools boost health care education. On Monday, the White House (yep, the one in D.C.!) announced CVTC will get two grants through the Advancing Careers and Training (ACT) for Healthcare program. The feds let loose $450 million in job training grants, and CVTC was one of the two largest recipients in the nation, so Wisconsin can be thankful that some of the tax dollars we send to Washington are making their way back here.

Among other things, CVTC’s share of the grants will help the Eau Claire-based college serve 150 more health care students, said CVTC President Bruce Barker. “We know there’s going to be a huge demand for health care workers because of our aging population,” Barker said.

The two grants come in different amounts and have different purposes:

• The big one is for $15 million, which will be shared among all 16 colleges in the Wisconsin Technical College System. CVTC will receive $722,178 from the grant to add class offerings and staff for the programs that are gateways for students pursuing associate degrees in nursing. Another $3.9 million from the grant will go to CVTC “to enhance simulation learning and technology in healthcare programs in all 16 WTCS colleges,” a press release says. That means using “augmented reality technology” – i.e., cool tools like smart phones – to interact with simulation equipment, such as the patient-like dummies CVTC students practice their skills on.

• The second grant, worth $5 million, will be used to help create a smoother statewide system to guide students into health careers. According to a CVTC press release,  “The grant money will provide training, staff development, and research aimed at uniting divergent career pathways … throughout the state into a more unified approach.”

CVTC will work with the state departments of Workforce Development and Veterans Affairs to help displaced workers and veterans get into medical careers.