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| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 5, 2010 |
For more information please contact: Jack Healy MassMEP Tel: 508-831-7020 |
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WORCESTER, MA - When the MassMEP mobile training unit drives out of the L.S. Starrett parking lot on Crescent Street in Athol at the end of this week, it will leave behind 12 trainees about to embark on new careers. Having completed an intensive two-week training session, the 12 graduates – 11 of whom were formerly unemployed – will be ready to start new jobs at two local manufacturers. The state-of-the-art program represents the latest demonstration of how creative approaches to job training can move unemployed workers into the ranks of the employed. Funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Labor, the program known as M.O.S.T.® (Mobile Outreach Skills Training) works in collaboration with workforce investment boards and career centers to identify unemployed or underemployed workers and provide them with training for hard-to-fill jobs as computer numeric-controlled (CNC) operators in the manufacturing sector. Manufacturers like L.S. Starrett that have utilized the program quickly recognize its value. Not only can the job training be delivered on-site by the mobile unit, but the training can be customized each session to meet a manufacturer’s specific job requirements. Moreover, the role of the career centers in advertising job openings and screening applicants can save employers valuable time and resources. “The M.O.S.T.® program has become part of our recruitment process for CNC operators and performs a valuable human resource function for us,” said Joel Shaughnessy, Director of Personnel.. “The Franklin Hampshire Career Center publicizes our employment opportunities and we interview qualified applicants at the Career Center. Once we’ve selected applicants for training, the M.O.S.T.® mobile unit delivers the training at our facility. The end result is that the recruits walk directly from the mobile unit onto our shop floor and can hit the ground running because the training has been customized to fit our needs.” The trainees in this week’s graduating class illustrate the diverse backgrounds of the program’s participants. The 12 trainees range in age from 20 to 53. They include two women, as well as trainees with no previous manufacturing experience. The success of the M.O.S.T.® program depends on collaboration. MassMEP utilized its expertise to bring additional federal funds to the state and uses its knowledge of manufacturers to identify employers with workforce training needs. The career centers recruit and screen potential trainees. Manufacturers benefit by having workers trained in an area of skills shortage; and trainees benefit by having jobs waiting for them upon successful graduation. “We’re pleased to work with MassMEP on this unique training initiative,” said Patricia Crosby, executive director of the Franklin Hampshire Regional Employment Board, which oversees the One Stop Career Center. “The MassMEP’s effort to identify employers with job openings and connect those employers with unemployed workers differentiates the M.O.S.T.® program from many other training programs and contributes to its high level of successful job placements.” Two additional features of the program also contribute to its success. First, the M.O.S.T.® program trains workers for entry-level manufacturing jobs that have a career ladder, higher earning potential and opportunities for advancement. Second, MassMEP’s role doesn’t end when trainees graduate from the program. MEP project managers continue to work with employers months after the end of the training program to ensure that trainees have mastered the required skills. This follow-on feature of the program reflects MEP’s mission of training employees so that their improved skills drive company growth. “One of the unique features of the M.O.S.T.® program is the opportunity it creates for trainees to embark on a career in manufacturing. Many people may find it surprising that in these tough economic times there’s a shortage of CNC operators, but Massachusetts manufacturers have a need for trained employees with these skills. This training program can equip unemployed and displaced workers for a career in the state’s high-tech manufacturing sector,” said Jack Healy, director of the MassMEP. The program is funded in part by a U.S. Department of Labor grant of $500,000. MassMEP was awarded the 2010 Skills Trainer of the Year Award at the MA Jobs and Workforce Summit earlier this year. |
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