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Governor’s Workforce Board awards $1.5 million in Matching Training Funds More than 3,500 workers in Rhode Island will receive on-the-job training in the coming months, thanks to 77 comprehensive worker training matching grants recently awarded by the Governor’s Workforce Board RI. Because these grants require matching contributions from participating employers, the $1.59 million total grant awards represent a nearly $3.2 million investment in Rhode Island’s workforce. “The best defense against an economic downturn is a skilled workforce,” says Governor’s Workforce Board Chair Joseph MarcAurele. “Our training grants not only help companies improve their productivity in the short term, but also help Rhode Island improve its talent pool for the future.” MarcAurele is president of Citizen’s Bank, Rhode Island. The grants range in size from $380 to train two Brookfield Service employees on new towing practices, to $50,000 to enroll 70 Interplex manufacturing workers in a multi-step technical and management training program. More than 1,000 of the 3,500 workers benefiting from this round of GWB training grants are employed in the manufacturing sector. “With increasing global competition, the state’s manufacturers have to seek out continuous systems improvement to remain profitable,” says MarcAurele. Accordingly, the majority of the 22 manufacturers receiving GWB training grants are planning to train their workers in Lean manufacturing and similar methodologies for streamlining their manufacturing processes. Still other businesses are using their training grants to grow their future workforce. Electro Standards Laboratories of Cranston has included a summer internship program in its training request, in which it will pair URI engineering students with seasoned engineers to serve as on-the-job mentors. Not all grant recipients come from the private sector. Included in the grant request for the non-profit International Yacht Restoration School are plans to train instructors in student retention strategies. Another non-profit grant recipient, the RI Coalition Against Domestic Violence, will offer 20 separate trainings in issues relating to domestic violence, including “Working with Victims from Immigrant Communities” and “Technology Safety for Victims of Domestic Violence.” Funding for the Comprehensive Worker Training grants comes from the state’s Job Development Fund, which is financed entirely by RI employers. Only those employers who pay into the fund are eligible to apply for Comprehensive Worker Training Grants. A listing of grant recipients by region follows this press release. The 17-member Governor’s Workforce Board 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 creation in September 2005, the Governor’s Workforce Board has made more than $24 million-worth strategic investments in Rhode Island that reward collaboration among the state’s employment, education and economic development entities.The following businesses, arranged by municipality, have received 2008 Comprehensive Worker Training Grants:
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