MCLA Computer Science Department Receives Skills Capital Grant

04:06PM / Saturday, March 19, 2022Print Story | Email Story

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) has received a $100,000 Skills Capital Grant from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Education to support the update of the College's Hardware and Robotics Lab, operated by the MCLA Computer Science department.

These updates will provide opportunities for students to gain hands-on learning experience in network security, network administration, and software development.

MCLA's Computer Science program has a 95 percent job placement rate, with many students receiving offers of employment prior to the conferral of their degree. Students can earn a bachelor of science degree in computer science with concentrations in electrical engineering, software development, information technology, business information systems, and bioinformatics.

Skills Capital grants are awarded to education programs that leverage local partnerships and curricular opportunities to create employment opportunities in critical employment sectors across the state. The Computer Science department has created proactive partnerships with the Berkshire Innovation Center (BIC) and General Dynamics to ensure that MCLA's Computer Science curriculum reflects industry needs. The proposal to update the MCLA Hardware and Robotics Lab was developed through a partnership between MCLA, Berkshire Community College, and General Dynamics.

The Hardware Lab will replicate physical servers, allowing students the experience of working directly with software running on classroom-based hardware. These skills are directly applicable to students interested in advanced manufacturing jobs. The grant will also support the Robotics Lab's acquisition of electrical engineering equipment including programmable logic controllers, circuit breakers, and sensors that companies such as General Dynamics use regularly in manufacturing work.

Preparing students for the workforce is an essential piece of MCLA's curriculum, so these labs have been developed to align with the professional work students will do in internships and after graduation. Many computer science students use the materials in these campus labs to prepare for advanced internships at local and regional organizations. The labs are also open for students to complete on-campus internships using lab equipment. This option enables accessibility to job training for students unable to complete a traditional internship because of transportation limitation or other financial barriers.

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Steel Structure Completed, Roof Taking Shape at New Greylock School

By Tammy Daniels iBerkshires Staff
05:45AM / Thursday, September 17, 2026

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The steel work is completed and the roof is taking shape at the new Greylock School.

"Nearly all of the steel is complete. They've essentially demobilized from the site," Todd Ashford, representative with owner's project manager Colliers International, told the School Building Committee on Tuesday. "A couple of big trades that have started their construction are the masonry block on the exterior walls, the exterior metal framing has started, and roofing is anticipated to start in the next, I would say, two weeks."

He said a lot of the masonry block and steel framing on the exteriors should be close to completion by the next meeting. Also, a binder course of asphalt should be down by the first week in October, which should help reduce the dirt and mud coming off the site.

A large slab actually was scheduled to be poured Wednesday to house the HVAC equipment and was expected to take until 7 p.m. Mayor Jennifer Macksey said those residents signed up on the email list were apprised of the after hours work.

The committee also approved invoices for the month and Ashford noted that about $17.8 million in invoices have been paid to date, of which $6.4 million was eligible for reimbursement from the Massachusetts School Building Authority. The MSBA is reimbursing the city for 80 percent of eligible costs, or about $42 million.

Committee member Lisa Blackmer asked if the reimbursements were keeping pace with expenditures.

Macksey said it's been about 30 to 45 days for reimbursement, and so far they've had no problems with reimbursements. Colliers and Nancy Rauscher, director of school finance and operations, have been working well together, she said.

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