Feb. 15—The two career and technology centers in Berks County are getting a combined $170,000 in state grants to buy equipment.

The Pennsylvania Department of Education has announced it was awarding $4 million in competitive grants to 55 career and technical schools and school districts across the state. The money is to purchase new equipment to help train students in high-demand occupations.

The Reading-Muhlenberg Career and Technology Center is getting $85,000. School officials said the money will be used to buy a lathe with a live tooling machine for the center’s precision machining program.

“This machine will continue to provide our students with state-of-the-art equipment to prepare them for highly skilled careers in the manufacturing sector,” said Eric Kahler, center executive director.

The Berks Career and Technology Center is also receiving $85,000.

Some of the money will be used to buy two wheel alignment packages for the automotive technology programs at the East and West campuses, officials said. The packages help measure and adjust the angles of a vehicle’s wheels to match its original specifications.

The rest of the money will be used to buy a hydraulic ironworker machine for the welding technology program at the West Campus. The machine can shear, notch and punch holes in steel plates and profiles.

“Career and technical education programs provide students with the skills and hands-on experience they need to build careers in high-demand, high-paying fields throughout the commonwealth,” Secretary of Education Khalid N. Mumin said in a statement announcing the grants. “These grants will expand and improve access to first-class equipment and experiences for students and builds on the commitment of the Shapiro Administration to help students chart their own course by making sure all students have access to a world-class education to sustain them for life.”