Central Mass. to train 160 advanced manufacturing workers
Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito, QCC President Luis G. Pedraja and other dignitaries announced $2.5 million for advanced manufacturing training Tuesday.
The Baker Administration is doling out $2.5 million to four regional consortia through a state training program to help bridge the skills gap in the advanced manufacturing industry.
The Advanced Manufacturing Training Program, launched in 2015, will use the funds to help train more than 700 unemployed or underemployed residents in the sector.
The funding was announced Tuesday at Quinsigamond Community College in Worcester.
The new funding will enable regional partnerships to develop, coordinate, and maintain workforce development systems to meet the needs of manufacturers who routinely report a lack of skilled workers.
Regional systems in the Central, Northeast, Southeast and Western parts of the state will provide workforce development services in the advanced manufacturing sector, including recruitment, job training placement and supportive services.
The Central region, coordinated by MassHire North Central Workforce Board and 24 partner organizations, will provide training and placement of 160 workers in the region in fiscal 2019.
A five-year manufacturing training strategy will be developed to continue the growth in the industry’s training system, which will include naming a regional manufacturing training captain to be the point person for the system.
In a statement, Gov. Charlie Baker called advanced manufacturing a key industry in the state.
“This program, which aligns with our relaunch of MassHire, builds on our administration’s investments in classroom infrastructure, industry innovation and regional coordination to connect residents to jobs, and address employer needs for skilled workers,” he said.
Since 2015, the Advanced Manufacturing Program has invested more than $5 million in workforce development, but this year’s award round nearly doubled the yearly investment over previous years, according to the state offices of housing and economic development.
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