Workforce Florida awards grant

for Skills Upgrade Training 
 

Grant will fund training for 118 workers in manufacturing

The Workforce Development Board has received a $60,236 grant from Workforce Florida, Inc. to facilitate skills upgrade training for 118 existing workers in 5 local manufacturing businesses. The businesses participating in this project include: Spectrum Sciences & Software, Inc., Micro Systems, Inc., Manufacturing Technology, Inc. (MTI), and Burton Golf, all located in Ft. Walton Beach and EJM Aerospace Services located in Crestview.

The grant is funded through the High Skills/High Wages Council of Workforce Florida, Inc. to enhance the ability of Florida’s manufacturers to compete globally for market share in an increasingly competitive environment. With manufacturing employment declining nationally (estimated at 1.6 million jobs since 2001) and in Florida (estimated at 35,200 jobs over the same time frame), the council worked with Enterprise Florida’s Manufacturing Advisory Council to survey manufacturing firms in Florida to determine their short-term and long-term training needs. Top short-term training needs identified were computer/technical, basic skills (reading/math), and others including wheel manufacturing fabricator, optical operators, woodworking, and assembly.

Top long-term training needs included other (analytical purification, assembly, customer service, cell culture, CAD, fabricators, ISO, lab skills, optical operators, printing, QC, sheet metal, carpentry), computer/technical,

chemical/mechanical, engineering, and machining.

________________________________________

The five businesses participating

in the project include:

Spectrum Sciences & Software

Micro Systems, Inc.

Manufacturing Technology, In. (MTI)

Burton Golf

EJM Aerospace Services

________________________________________

The local businesses will implement training designed to increase the expertise of their existing workers in the technical, regulatory, management and lean manufacturing areas of their operation.  The grant provides the participating businesses a 50% reimbursement for direct training costs incurred.  

The Workforce Development Board serves as the administrative and fiscal agent for the grant which runs through June 30, 2005. Jan Pooley, Special Projects Manager for the board, serves as the project coordinator.

Over the last three years the Workforce Development Board has brought over $800,000 to Okaloosa and Walton Counties to support the training of 883 incumbent workers at thirteen local businesses representing manufacturing, engineering and professional services, and information technology industries.

For more information, call Jan Pooley at 651-2315.