New Green Industry Partnership Announced

The Governor’s Workforce Board Rhode Island has awarded a $149,000 grant to the New England Institute of Technology in support of a new industry partnership, known as the Rhode Island Green Technology Consortium. The 34-member partnership is charged with defining “green technologies” as they relate to Rhode Island industry, identifying the skills needed for workers in these emergent technologies, and supporting and/or creating relevant training opportunities in Rhode Island.

“As Rhode Island's economy continues to shift toward emerging, green industries, it is critical that we identify these new opportunities for job creation and the workforce skills and training needed to succeed," says Governor Donald L. Carcieri. “I would like to commend this new consortium for taking a leadership role in preparing our workforce for a new economy."

Seth Kurn, executive vice president of the New England Institute of Technology, adds, “The college’s involvement demonstrates our ongoing commitment to prepare students and workers for green technology jobs of the future.”

Partners in the Rhode Island Green Technology Consortium include:

Next steps for the new industry partnership include:

• Working with Northeastern University’s Center for Labor Market Studies to research the scope and the skill requirements of Rhode Island’s emergent green workforce.
• Identifying and updating a list of green technology educational and training activities to attract and upgrade workers within the industries.
• Launching a Green Technology Resource Center as a locus for green technologies information. 
• Developing public awareness campaigns for green technologies employment opportunities.
• Supporting the development of industry-wide regulations, ordinances and standards in Rhode Island.

A primary strategy of the Governor’s Workforce Board Rhode Island, industry partnerships represent powerful alliances of businesses, education and training organizations and community-based organizations that are charged with reducing identifiable skill gaps in particular high-growth, high-wage employment sectors. With the addition of the Green Technology Consortium, the Governor’s Workforce Board now funds nine Industry Partnerships in key high-growth, high-wage sectors, including health care/hospitals, health care/long-term care, bioscience, information technology, advanced manufacturing, construction trades, marine trades and hospitality & tourism.

Governor’s Workforce Board Chairperson Joseph MarcAurele states, “Industry partnerships are critical tools for workforce development in Rhode Island, because they help ensure the availability of educational and training opportunities that are driven by industry demand.” MarcAurele adds that by connecting youth and adults to relevant training, Rhode Island can help bridge the gap between the existing skill sets of Rhode Island job seekers and the workplace skills sets desired by Rhode Island businesses.
Established by Governor Donald L. Carcieri in September 2005, the Governor’s Workforce Board Rhode Island combines the scope and resources of the State Workforce Investment Board and the Human Resource Investment Council to provide unified and impactful policy-making decisions that are focused on our state’s greatest asset: its workforce.

Since its inception, the 17-member board has supported $37 million in strategic investments designed to improve the skill base of RI workers, to foster the work readiness of the emerging workforce and to anticipate the needs of new and existing businesses. In Fiscal Year 2009 alone, the board invested approximately $14 million to promote initiatives that are driven by industry need and informed by labor market information. 

In 2009, the Governor’s Workforce Board premiered a five-year strategic workforce plan, created over 18 months with input from over 100 business, education, community and government leaders. The plan offers strategies to improve the development and delivery of demand-driven training in Rhode Island. Its four primary goals include (1) unifying and maximizing the state’s workforce development system; (2) helping employers attract and retain a skilled workforce; (3) assisting adults in gaining the skill sets necessary to meet economic demand; and (4) providing skill development opportunities for the next generation of workers.

To read this plan, visit www.rihric.com/splan.htm.

Governor’s Workforce Board RI Awards $400,000 in Training Grants

The Governor’s Workforce Board RI recently awarded $398,335 in Comprehensive Worker Training Grants to 17 Rhode Island companies. The matching grants, which range in size from $2,211.50 to $50,000, will help more than 1,000 Rhode Island-based employees improve their existing skill sets. Financing for these grants comes from the state's Job Development Fund.

“Employee training can improve the health of Rhode Island businesses by boosting worker productivity, operational efficiency and workplace innovation,” says Board Chairman Joseph J. MarcAurele, president and chief operating officer of The Washington Trust Company.

"As Rhode Island looks to move away from this economic recession to a stronger labor market, it is critical that we prepare our workforce to have the skills to be successful for today's jobs and for the new economy," said Governor Donald L. Carcieri.  "By collaborating with large and small Rhode Island businesses that are committed to providing good jobs, we are making a wise investment in our people and our future."

Funded proposals in the latest grant round included underwater exhibit training at Something Fishy Inc., arborist training for North-Eastern Tree Service, electronic medical records training for Urologic Specialist of New England and gaming technology training for Hasbro, Inc.

The 15-member Governor’s Workforce Board RI supports strategies that improve the existing skill base of the Rhode Island workforce and that anticipate the future needs of growing and emerging businesses. Since its inception in 2005, the Governor’s Workforce Board has awarded $11.4 million in matching worker training grants that have improved the skills of more than 20,000 Rhode Island-based workers.

Earlier this year, the Governor’s Workforce Board released a five-year strategic plan that ranked a skilled and agile workforce among its top four goals in improving Rhode Island’s competitiveness in the future. To download the full report, visit www.rihric.com and click on “Strategic Planning.”

August 2009 Comprehensive Worker Training Grants by Location

posted October 7, 2009

Governor’s Workforce Board RI Awards $2 Million in Training Grants

The Governor’s Workforce Board RI announced today that nearly 6,600 Rhode Island-based employees will benefit from more than $1.9 million in Comprehensive Worker Training matching grants awarded to 76 companies this month. Grants range from $340 for customer service training at the RI Hospitality Education Foundation to $50,000 for Lean Manufacturing and Value Stream Mapping training at Mahr Federal.

Comprehensive Worker Training grants help fund employee training that improves worker productivity, operational efficiency and/or workplace innovation. Financing for these grants comes from the state's Job Development Fund.

“Ensuring that people have the right skills for the available jobs is a critical component in laying a stronger economic foundation for when the nation's economy bounces back,” said Governor Donald L. Carcieri.

“By offering a 50-50 match for training, the Governor’s Workforce Board RI is helping Rhode Island businesses invest in their workforce today and improve their productivity in the future,” says Board Chairman Joseph J. MarcAurele, president, Citizens Bank, Rhode Island.

The 15-member Governor’s Workforce Board RI supports strategies that improve the existing skill base of the Rhode Island workforce and that anticipate the future needs of growing and emerging businesses. Since its inception in 2005, the Governor’s Workforce Board has awarded $7.5 million in matching worker training grants that have improved the skills of nearly 20,000 Rhode Island-based workers.

In the most recent round of grants, funded proposals ranged from occupational training, such as plastics injection molding at Polytop Corp. and ‘green’ building techniques at the Dimeo Construction, to soft skills, such as diversity training at East Bay Community Action and leadership training at Autocrat, Inc.

Some companies have proposed pairing with educational institutions to deliver their training needs. For example, Taylor Box Co. in Warren is slated to partner with the Rhode Island School of Design to upgrade its employees’ knowledge of design software. Other companies, such as Pot Au Feu Restaurant in Providence, plan to accomplish training in house. Pot Au Feu management plans to create its own DVD training modules to train its workers in culinary and hospitality-related topics.

Of the businesses receiving grants, 54 are considered ‘high-wage industries,’ such as information; finance & insurance; wholesale trade; professional, scientific and business services; construction; and manufacturing. See below for a full listing:

posted September 2009