Baltimore County, MD – (May 1, 2026) – Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC) has received $500,000 from the state of Maryland’s Road to Careers initiative to fund workforce training for 45 skilled trades students. The Road to Careers program, a joint project of the Maryland Department of Labor and the Maryland Department of Transportation, just awarded $4 million in grants to train nearly 400 Marylanders for high-demand, family-sustaining careers.
CCBC’s School of Continuing Education will build on its existing Construction Pre-Apprenticeship training to provide a launchpad for skilled trades students who need additional training and support before taking a full apprenticeship. The initiative targets underserved populations, including low-income students, such as the unemployed and underemployed; workers who have been laid off from other careers; disconnected young people; and veterans. The students may face financial and practical barriers to education, such as difficulties with math and other core skills.
The pilot project will work with industry partners to extend training hours—including additional instruction in math and other core skills—enhance and modify curriculum, fund tuition for 45 students, provide student support services, and place successful students in registered apprenticeship positions. Students will qualify to become construction laborers, including carpenters, ironworkers, masons, and cement finishers; plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters; HVAC mechanics and installers; and electricians.
“Working with our industry partners to fill their workforce needs while helping students succeed lies at the heart of CCBC’s mission,” said CCBC President Sandra Kurtinitis. “Many of our skilled trades students secure full-time employment before graduation. We can’t do any of this without the support of loyal funders like the state of Maryland. We’re grateful that our state and local governments recognize the importance of skilled trades, as well as the need to fill critical vacancies left by an aging workforce.”
About 95% of CCBC students attend tuition-free, either in whole or in part, due to funding initiatives such as the Road to Careers. With financial support from the state of Maryland, Baltimore County and other contributors, CCBC recently broke ground on a new $13.3 million Welding and Trades Center on its Dundalk campus to further expand its training of skilled tradesmen and women.
“This program is about more than skills training alone; it's also about a commitment to creating clear pathways to work, wages, and wealth in growing industries like transportation and construction,” Governor Wes Moore said of the Road to Careers initiative. “In Maryland, we will continue tackling transformational infrastructure projects across our state, because we are investing in the people who build them.”
For more information on CCBC’s Construction Pre-Apprenticeship Program, visit the website.
Since 1957, CCBC has opened the doors to accessible, affordable, high-quality education empowering generations of area residents to transform their lives and the lives of others. Each year, over 50,000 students enroll at the college’s main campuses, extension centers and online to make their starts, earn degrees, launch and build careers. CCBC offers the region’s most expansive selection of degree, certificate and workplace certification programs that prepare students for transfer, job entry and career advancement in such industries as business, education, health care, information technology, cybersecurity, construction, and transportation. Designated as the “Best Community College” among the Maryland Daily Record’s 2025 Reader Rankings, CCBC is also nationally recognized as a leader in innovative learning strategies and among the nation’s top associate degree producers.
Asst Dir, Communications