HELENA – Carroll College will be awarded a $440,000 grant from the state of Montana through its investment in the Accelerate Montana rapid workforce training program. This grant will allow Carroll College to offer a total of 32 scholarships of $12,500 to students entering the Accelerated Nursing and Master of Social Work programs.
“I am grateful to Governor Gianforte for his commitment to support lifelong learners wanting to pursue a career in the allied health fields which Montana desperately needs,” said Dr. John Cech, president of Carroll College. “The special and timely $12,500 scholarships for Carroll's Accelerated Nursing RN program and our flexible and accessible online Master of Social Work program will help provide more urgently needed health professionals to serve Montana. I am appreciative of Governor Gianforte's foresight in addressing the critical workforce needs in healthcare facing our state.”
Carroll’s Accelerated Nursing track is designed for those who have earned a baccalaureate or higher degree in a non-nursing field and are looking for new opportunities. Students in this track build on their previous degree(s) to achieve a second bachelor’s degree that would enable them to become a licensed Registered Nurse. Building on a long history of excellence in nursing education at Carroll College, this 15-month intensive track designed for adult learners includes coursework and clinical experiences designed to make these graduates immediately employable and effective in one of the most in-demand career fields in the country.
Carroll’s clinically focused Master of Social Work (MSW) program trains students to serve individuals, families, groups, and communities severely impacted by serious health, mental health and substance use challenges, poverty, and other social problems. The clinical orientation of the program was informed by an assessment of Montana-based service providers, who indicated an extreme need for social workers able to effectively apply evidence-based practices while collaborating with other healthcare disciplines in diverse practice settings. The MSW program is in the process of completing full accreditation and has been approved to enroll students.
Students who are entering either the Accelerated Nursing program track or the Master of Social Work are eligible to apply for a scholarship if they intend to work in Montana after graduation and if they have financial need. Carroll College will be able to award 16 scholarships in each program of $12,500 to eligible new students. Both programs are currently enrolling their second cohort of students.
Earlier this month, Governor Gianforte announced that Accelerate Montana, a partnership effort led by the University of Montana, would receive a $6 million grant stemming from the state’s ARPA Economic Transformation and Stabilization and Workforce Development Committee. The grant was issued by the Department of Labor and Industry to provide rapid workforce training across Montana and Carroll College’s scholarship grant is one of Accelerate Montana’s first programs.
"Montana's health care system depends on a highly-skilled workforce trained to deliver the highest quality of care to Montanans," Governor Gianforte said. "Through our investment in the terrific training and upskilling opportunities here at Carroll, we’ll help address Montana’s longstanding health care worker shortage and build a stronger, more robust health care workforce for the future.”
To learn more about the Accelerated Nursing program track at Carroll College and for information on admission requirements and how to apply, visit www.carroll.edu/acnu.
To learn more about the Master of Social Work program at Carroll College and for information on how to apply, visit www.carroll.edu/msw.
To learn more about the scholarship and the application process, please contact the Assistant Director of Admission, Nicole Noel, (406) 447-4394 or nnoel@carroll.edu.