Bunker Hill Community College

BHCC in the News

2007-08-02 - BHCC NSTAR Tech Prep Receives National Honor

Boston, August 2, 2007 - Bunker Hill Community College and its partners in an Electric Power Utility degree program - Metro Boston Tech Prep Consortium and NSTAR Electric and Gas Company, are being honored as national models for development of a new degree program which addresses the need for trained utility workers in the Commonwealth.  Launched in the fall of 2004, after NSTAR President Thomas J. May and BHCC President Mary L. Fifield joined forces to create the Electric Power Utility Technology (EPUT) program.  The program has already graduated two classes of students with associate degrees.  Graduates of the program have an opportunity to secure a position with NSTAR or another qualified contractor at a competitive starting salary.

"Community Colleges have a unique responsibility to the communities that they serve to ensure that the workforce needs of the region are met.  Additionally, this program enables students to earn a degree and guarantees them employment upon successful completion of the program," said Mary L. Fifield, President, Bunker Hill Community College.

Representatives from BHCC and NSTAR will travel to Louisville, KY, in October to receive the award from the National Career Pathways Network (formerly the National Tech Prep Network).  They will also make a presentation on how this collaborative works and share what they’ve learned in developing and launching this program.

"Over the past few years we have seen a critical shortage of line workers as baby boomers age and retire from the industry.  The proper training for workers in this field is extensive, so it makes sense to couple that training with a formal education," said Thomas J. May, NSTAR Chairman, President and CEO.  "Bunker Hill Community College has been a perfect partner in developing this program and helping us to obtain the skilled workers that we need."

Bunker Hill Community College is the largest community college in Massachusetts. The College enrolls more than 8,500 students on two campuses and at five satellite locations each semester. Some 1,700 students take classes online. BHCC is one of the most diverse institutions of higher education in the Commonwealth. Six in ten students are people of color and more than half of BHCC’s students are women. The College also enrolls more than 600 international students who come from more than 95 countries and speak more than 75 different languages.

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