CCBC receives grant for interpreter program

The Community College of Baltimore County has received a $150,000 Maryland Employment Advancement Right Now (EARN) grant for its Interpreter Preparation Program, which helps interpreters prepare for a new licensing law which will come into effect in 2025.

With the passing of the Maryland Sign Language Interpreters Act (SB346), all interpreters in the state must be licensed by 2025 or they must discontinue services. In preparation, CCBC has designed four new continuing education courses to help interpreters prepare for certification exams for either the Center for Assessment of Sign Language Interpreters or the Educational Interpreter Performance Assessment exams.

The EARN funding will allow CCBC to work with strategic industry partners to support up to 250 local interpreters by providing test preparation training and covering testing fees. In supporting these interpreters, the one million people in Maryland who are deaf and hard of hearing will have a larger roster of qualified interpreters ready to assist at doctors’ appointments, college classrooms, court cases, governments agencies and any other location where interpreters are required to adhere to the Americans with Disabilities Act.

“We are grateful to Maryland EARN and the Maryland Department of Labor for awarding this generous grant to our Interpreter Preparation program,” said Rebecca Minor, the chair of the communication arts department at CCBC. “There is a high demand for qualified interpreters to serve our state’s deaf and hard of hearing community and this initiative comes just in time to help them prepare for the new licensing law.”

EARN Maryland awards funding to strategic industry partnerships that comprise employers, non-profits, higher education institutions, local workforce development boards and local governments. Based upon employer-identified training needs, partnerships provide education and skills training to unemployed and underemployed Marylanders. The program also includes career advancement strategies for incumbent workers, leading to a more highly skilled workforce in the state.