Disaster preparedness, work force training for high schoolers and regulatory flexibility were the main topics discussed at the R.I. Small Business Advocacy Council’s meeting earlier this month at the R.I. Economic Development Corporation.
William DeFeo, security consultant at Code Red Business Continuity Services in Cranston, briefed the council on the New England Disaster Recovery Information X-Change (NEDRIX), a nonprofit that helps businesses prepare for and recover from natural and man-made disasters. There are currently 1,200 NEDRIX members throughout New England.
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NEDRIX provides a “network to talk about, understand and mitigate the effects of a disaster,” said DeFeo.
Powered by Envoy Worldwide – considered an expert in notification technology, based in Bedford, Mass. – NEDRIX can offer its members instant emergency updates and alerts from the R.I. Emergency Operation Center through its NEDRIX Notify system.
Warnings can be sent via e-mail, pager or phone. There is no cost to join.
In other news, Don Nester, project manager of R.I. Manufacturers Extension Services, introduced the council to the WorkPlace Skills Applied Learning Program, an initiative for high school students.
The program first started in the spring of 2004 at Davies Career and Technical High School in Lincoln and grew to include North Kingstown and Coventry high schools. The goal of the curriculum is to prepare high school grads for careers and reduce training costs to employers, said Nester.
The training is not just for future manufacturing workers, but is something “every kid in the state should go through,” said Nester, because it teaches work force processes and problem-solving skills.
The program hopes to train 20 teachers by year’s end, conduct three pilot programs during the current school year and offer the curriculum to all Rhode Island high schools by 2007, Nester said. RIMES will also explore grant funding to support the effort that costs about $8,000 a semester to teach, he said.
Also, Louis Soares, assistant director of small-business services at the EDC, updated the council on the impact of prospective licensee regulations planned for January 2006. The EDC provided data to the R.I. Department of Business Regulation, estimating that 400 businesses statewide would be affected by the new law that would improve record-keeping requirements of licensees.
The council will soon discuss the possibility of a pilot sales tax holiday to help the state remain competitive and assist small businesses, said the council’s chairman, Lt. Gov. Charles J. Fogarty.
