Local career and technical schools received a windfall as the Pennsylvania Department of Education announced more than $4.5 million in competitive grant funding awards late last week.

The Greater Altoona Career and Technology Center, the Bedford County Technical Center and the Admiral Peary Area Professional Technical School in Cambria County each received $85,000 through the Equipment Grant program, which awarded funds to 55 other technical schools across the commonwealth.

Eligible schools could apply for a maximum of $85,000 to upgrade or replace equipment used in the training of vo-tech students, according to a PDE release.

Interim GACTC director Nicole Zernick said that her school will use the funding to purchase a Haas CNC machine and five lathes for use in precision machining class.

This will allow machining students to acquire additional skills in the classroom, Zernick said, such as certifications from the National Institute of Metalworking Skills.

Students will be able use the new equipment starting in the 2025-26 school year, Zernick said.

According to director Michael O’Dellick, more than 200 BCTC students will benefit from a new Kubota skid loader and a Snap-on scanning tool purchased with their grant allocation.

The loader will be used by students in the carpentry, construction and agriculture programs, among others.

Since skid loaders are a common fixture on the jobsite in these industries, students can learn valuable safety skills by working with the loader in a classroom setting, O’Dellick said.

The scan tool will be used by automotive technology students to learn how to diagnose a variety of electronic issues on vehicles, he said.

Purchasing a new scan tool will allow students to diagnose issues on more recent models of cars, O’Dellick said, which will give them skills they can use going forward in their careers.

The remaining funds will be used to buy a number of Miller Deltaweld 350 systems for use by welding students.

Currently, students at BCTC have to use welding equipment that is over 40 years old, O’Dellick said, so the new system will be in-line with what the welding industry uses in 2025.

The new system should be available for student use later this spring, he said.

When the BCTC received funding from the first round of Equipment Grant awards last year, they also used the money for welding equipment, he said.

Automotive repair and automotive technology students at Admiral Peary AVTS will be able to use three new diagnostic trainers later this spring, according to director Joe Luther.

These trainers look like partial vehicles, he said, and can be used in a wide variety of ways to help students learn how to diagnose issues with cars.

About 200 students at the school will use the trainers to prepare for real-life challenges in an automotive career, Luther said.

According to Luther, school administrators are “excited” to receive the funding so their students can use the trainers to advance in their field.