A Bellingham nurse training program will receive $2.75 million in federal funds to expand nursing education for students across Northwest Washington, Rep. Rick Larsen, WA-02, said today. Bellingham Technical College will receive the funds from the U.S. Department of Labor and Department of Education.

“My top priority is to invest in the foundation of long-term economic growth that creates jobs and opportunity in the Pacific Northwest,” Larsen said. “These federal dollars will get Northwest Washington nursing students the best education to get the best jobs. Nurses are in high demand, and this grant will help make sure that our medical care providers will be able to find the best talent right in their own backyards.”

Bellingham Technical College will recruit students who have lost their jobs as a result of foreign trade, as well as veterans, and other unemployed or underemployed workers in Whatcom, Skagit, Island, San Juan and Snohomish counties.

The grant will help Washington state overcome a projected shortage for nurses. A recent report by the state’s Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board found that by 2017, Washington state will be training only 87 percent of the people needed to work in health care. A Washington State Employment Security Department report identified nursing as having the second highest rate of job vacancies in the state.

Find more information on the nursing program at Bellingham Technical College here. Find more information on the grant program here.