77 R.I. employers win $1.59M in worker training grants

PROVIDENCE – The R.I. Governor’s Workforce Board has awarded 77 Comprehensive Worker Training grants, totaling $1.59 million, to help provide on-the-job training for 3,500 Rhode Island workers. Employers will match the grants, bringing the total to $3.2 million.

“The best defense against an economic downturn is a skilled work force,” Joseph MarcAurele, chairman of the Governor’s Workforce Board and president of Citizens Bank, Rhode Island, said in a statement this afternoon. “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.”

The grants will help fund training in lean manufacturing, and other methods of streamlining the manufacturing process, for more workers at 22 local manufacturers. Others – including Electro Standards Laboratories in Cranston, which has opted to include an internship program pairing University of Rhode Island engineering students with company engineers – will use the money to help ensure a stronger work force.

Grants also were awarded to several nonprofits. Among them are the International Yacht Restoration School in Newport, which will use its award to train instructors in student-retention strategies; and the Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence, which will offer 20 training sessions on topics such as “Working with victims from immigrant communities” and “Technology safety for victims of domestic violence.”

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Financing for the worker training grants comes from the R.I. Job Development Fund, which is financed entirely by local employers. Only those employers who contribute to the fund are eligible to apply for the grants.

The latest recipients, listed by community, are:

Bristol
• Outer Limits Offshore Power Boats, $30,480
• Safeway Auto Sales Inc., $560

Central Falls
• King’s Service Center, $3,440
• Wardwell Braiding Machine Co., $30,120

Coventry
• Rhodes Technologies, $23,440

Cranston
• Abacus Management Technologies LLC, $3,970
• Electro Standards Labs, $38,670
• Federal Electronics Inc., $22,500
• Primary Flow Signal, $43,820

Cumberland
• Swissline Precision Mfg., $38,400
• Tedor Pharma Inc., $15,280

East Providence
• Benefits Concepts, $49,990
• Interplex Engineering Products, Rumford, $50,000
• Yankee Fiber Control, $5,040

Lincoln
• Gem Mechanical Services Inc., $21,270
• Gem Plumbing and Heating, $49,410
• Lighthouse Computer Services, $42,830
• Northern Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce, $1,250
• Technical Materials, $19,960
• The Insco Group, $15,710

Middletown
• BankNewport, $28,750
• Northeast Engineers & Consultant, $48,390
• People’s Credit Union, $26,390
• Rite-Solutions Inc., $16,030

Newport
• Child & Family Services, $17,150
• The International Yacht Restoration School, $3,110
• Rhode Island Towing, $750

North Kingstown
• New Territories, $10,000
• Senesco Marine LLC, $41,900

North Scituate
• Knox’s Garage and Towing Inc., $380

North Smithfield
• Picor Corp., $5,300
• National Market Co., Slatersville, $35,160

Pawtucket
• Bunge North America (East), $45,000
• Collette Vacations, $49,060
• Colonial Mills, $21,300
• Embolden Design, $3,800
• International Packaging Corp., $29,600
• Neptco Inc., $50,000
• New England Overseas Corp., $10,460

Portsmouth
• Hodges Badge Co. Inc., $25,000
• J. Taggart Enterprises, $560
• Ocean Link Inc., $8,750
• The Green Grocer, $7,130

Providence
• AAA Southern New England, $15,080
• Advertising Ventures, $6,160
• Ananke Inc., $34,520
• Beautiful Beginnings Child Care, $2,350
• City Year Rhode Island, $3,810
• Clear Channel Radio, $18,110
• Contech Medical, $10,060
• East Side Service Center, $750
• Envision Technology Advisors LLC, $32,600
• Family Service of Rhode Island, $35,410
• Graphic Communications Inc., $5,280
• K&M Associates LP, $35,000
• Leftkowitz, Garfinkel, Champi and DiRienzo, $7,080
• Levine Inc., $32,700
• Logicomm, $7,130
• Providence Chain Co., $27,900
• Rhode Island Community Food Bank, $5,290
• Sansiveri, Kimball & McNamee LLP, $50,000
• Software Quality Association, $23,100
• SQA Global Resources LLC, $33,860
• UHPS Providence, $45,560

South Kingstown
• Twisted Throttle LLC, Peace Dale, $14,030
• Falvey Cargo Underwriting, Wakefield, $11,750
• Modine Manufacturing Co., West Kingston, $5,310
• Meadowbrook Waldorf School, West Kingston, $4,460

Warren
• East Bay Chamber of Commerce, $3,610
• Blount Boats, $29,440

Warwick
• Atrion Networking, $50,000
• Herb’s Towing, $560
• Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence, $6,600

West Warwick
• Astro Wrecker, $1,080
• Brookfield Service Inc., $380
• Guill Tool & Engineering Co., $34,240

Woonsocket
• Sandy’s Towing, $2,150

The Governor’s Workforce Board supports strategies that improve the existing skill base of the Rhode Island work force. Since its creation in September 2005, the Governor’s Workforce Board has made more than $24 million-worth of strategic investments in Rhode Island. For more information, visit, www.rihric.com.

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