AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN-FUNDED SCHOLARSHIPS HAVE ASSISTED NEARLY 300 RVCC STUDENTS

The Raritan Valley Community College Scholarship Program supported by the Somerset Board of County Commissioners with funds from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) has assisted 137 students this year in career-demand classes at the college.

With the 2026 round of scholarships, a total of 284 students from Somerset and Hunterdon Counties have used the funding over the past four years to support their career-focused educational efforts. The scholarship program began in the fall of 2022, when a portion of funds received from the ARPA was allocated by the commissioner boards in the two counties to need-based career scholarships for training programs in high-demand industries offered at the Branchburg-based RVCC. The scholarships were made possible through recommendations and collaboration between the Greater Raritan Workforce Development Board (GRWDB) and the two commissioner boards.

“I would like to express my sincere appreciation for the grant from Somerset County,” said Somerset, Franklin, resident Dawna Scott, one of 43 students who used the scholarship fund to complete RVCC’s Phlebotomy Program. “I am optimistic that my participation in the Phlebotomy Lab Assistance course at RVCC will lead to employment opportunities in the phlebotomy sector.”

In addition to the phlebotomy technician program students, since the program began four received scholarships in the electrocardiogram (ECG) technician program, seven in the welding program, 11 in the manufacturing program, six in the Pharmacy Tech program and 14 in a new Durable Skills program launched earlier this year. The largest class participation — 195 students — was in the college’s multi-part aseptic cleaning program launched in 2025.

All these pathway programs are housed in RVCC’s Workforce Training Center; in the aseptic program, some recipients are employees at Johnson & Johnson using the program to support expanded opportunities at the company’s Somerset County location.

The career-training scholarship program began in 2022 with a request for funding from the GRWDB. As a result of the request, the Boards of Commissioners allocated from 2022 to 2024 a total of $106,546 to the RVCC Career Scholarship grant program. Somerset County students received $88,000, and Hunterdon County students obtained $18,546 in scholarship funding. The initial funding was available until the end of 2024, and at the end of 2024, Somerset County allocated an additional $200,000 in funding that is available through the end of 2026.

Available funding has nearly been expended for these ARP scholarships, but eligible students from Hunterdon and Somerset counties interested in in-demand classes at RVCC and other training schools and programs may still be able to utilize individual training grants and other training opportunities available through GRWDB partners.

As of August 1, 2026, 276 Somerset County residents/workers and eight Hunterdon County residents have received scholarships. The scholarships pay for the program training costs as well as for related book and exam fees, and as-needed background and liability insurance.

The scholarship recipients come from all communities in the two counties. In Somerset County, Bridgewater and Franklin had 10 students each, and the other recipients came from Bedminster, Bernards, Branchburg, Bound Brook, Far Hills, Green Brook, Hillsborough, Manville, North Plainfield, Raritan Borough, Somerville, Warren and Watchung. In Hunterdon County, students came from Annandale, Flemington, Lebanon, Milford and Whitehouse Station. Recipients ranged in age and life experiences, with some employed, others seeking employment, and some are new Americans. All recipients were excited to venture into a new career.

Shaunalee Cunningham expressed her “sincere thanks for your generous support. This scholarship will significantly ease the financial burden of my education and allow me to fully focus on achieving my academic goals. I am honored to be selected and promise to make the most of this opportunity.”

Another student said the scholarship came at important point in her life, because she has been on disability and has been unable to work, so this helps her alleviate her current economic situation.

“The scholarships allow breathing room for students who may otherwise be faced with the choice of paying for education or paying for rent or healthcare,” said GRWDB Board Member Joanne Hala.

To view Career Training opportunities at Raritan Valley Community College, visit https://www.raritanval.edu/career-training.

To learn more about the RVCC Career Scholarship grant program, email Maryam Sheikh at the Workforce Training Center of RVCC at Maryam.Sheikh@raritanval.edu.

More information about the GRWDB, its program partners and area workforce system services can be found at www.thegrwdb.org.

The Greater Raritan Workforce Development Board (GRWDB)
The GRWDB oversees more than $4 million annually in federal-, state- and county-funded career and employment services for businesses and residents in Hunterdon and Somerset counties. In recent years, it has expanded its footprint of services and programs, to ensure that it is connecting job seekers to career-development pathway opportunities around the region.