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More than 750 educated through training programs

  • On December 12, 2016

Two Central Massachusetts training programs have completed educating employees at 17 different manufacturing companies, creating 40 new jobs and retaining 32 employees as a result.

The programs funded by the Workforce Training Fund Program managed by the Commonwealth Corp. offered education with the goal of updating the skills of the companies’ workforces. The trainings were coordinated by the Central MA Workforce Investment Board in partnership with the Massachusetts Manufacturing Extension Partnership, which provided instruction. Topics ranged from basic manufacturing skills to leadership training, job safety and included more specific programs such as geometric dimensioning and tolerancing.

The participating manufacturers completed a total of 96 trainings and trained 779 employees over the course of the project. According to data collected by MassMEP, there were positive results for the manufacturers.

  • Increased sales: $4,574,000
  • Jobs created: 403
  • Jobs retained: 32
  • Cost savings: $1,384,075

The companies that participated were:

  • Southbridge Sheet Metal
  • INCOM
  • David Packard Co.
  • Dexter-Russell
  • G&F Industries
  • United Lens
  • H.T. Machine
  • Magnetic Technologies
  • Schott North America
  • Swissturn
  • T & D Specialties
  • Eaton-Wrightline
  • ECM Plastics/A. Schulman
  • Prematech
  • Kinefac
  • Stellar Industries
  • Primetals Technologies

Jim Laliberte from Primetals Technologies said in a statement that these trainings are important, especially as companies face replacing significant portions of their workforce in the coming years.

“A shortage of adequately skilled workers in the U.S. is a problem faced by most companies and could compromise the country’s economic competitiveness if left unaddressed,” Laliberte said in a statement.

You can read the original article on WBJournal.com.