Written by: Kristy Grignon
Does your company have a technical skills gap?
Would you like to improve your productivity and quality?
Have you been considering ways to get training for your workforce and have thought that your company was too small?
Have you looked for ways to fund training, discovered the Workforce Training Fund and then decided you didn’t have the resources to write the grant and do all the grant administration work?
If you answered YES to any of these questions, consortium training could be the answer. Workforce Training Consortium is an opportunity for your employees to attend our training workshops AND it does not require you to write the grant application or perform grant administration work.
How does it work?
For starters, MassMEP seeks companies that are looking for solutions to the opening questions that are within the same region. Once the companies are identified, minor up front planning takes place. Participating companies meet to select the training and workshops of greatest interest in advance. The courses are separated into three different categories: Operational Excellence, Workforce Strategies and Innovative Growth Solutions. Since MassMEP provides the shared training, we develop a consolidated grant and submit it to the Workforce Training Fund on the behalf of the participating companies.
Upon grant approval, course scheduling commences. Training is held at a location within your region making it easy for participants to get to. Depending on the number of consortia members and the grant specifications, training may be held at participating companies. Training will be conducted over a one to two year timeframe, again depending on what was laid out in the grant. MassMEP handles the ongoing grant administration responsibilities.
How much does it cost to join the consortium?
This training is paid for by the Workforce Training Fund, so organizations that contribute to the Workforce Training Fund are eligible to take part in WTFP grant programs. All for-profit companies in Massachusetts contribute as do some non-profits. The company’s investment is that grant funds must be matched dollar for dollar. The match is usually achieved by utilizing training-related costs such as wages and fringe of employees during training hours.
Successful results
MassMEP and the participating companies have been very successful with this convenient and effective model. Consortia companies have reported the following results: improved lead time, reduced cycle time, improvement in on-time delivery, improved productivity, reduced inventory, increased first-pass yield, increased sales, labor cost savings and more.
How do I get started?
Contact Lisa Derby Oden today at [email protected]
Also visit Commonwealth Corporation at www.WorkforceTrainingFund.org