Five Questions With: Barbara Jackson

Manufacturing workforce-development group We Make RI moved into a bigger location on March 1, with more than 12,000 square feet of new space to train job seekers, displaced workers and high school seniors.

The nonprofit not only adjusted to a new home recently – moving from 5 Sharpe Drive in Cranston to 200 First Ave. in Cranston – but adjusted its program delivery as well, due to coronavirus precautions.

We Make RI Executive Director Barbara Jackson discusses what the organization offers, the value in the new facility and what’s to come.

 

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PBN: The move is behind you! How did it go?

JACKSON: Moving is always a big pain, but it’s an exciting time too. The entire team pitched in and I think the move brought us closer together. We’re all moved in now, the boxes and bins are gone. We even held our first open house … just before the virus changed our lives.

PBN: What does the new space offer We Make RI clients that maybe your past location did not?

JACKSON: We moved from what was primarily a classroom environment next door to a manufacturer that allowed us into the shop on a look-but-don’t-touch basis. Now we have our own 12,500-square-foot manufacturing space.

Our plan is to integrate our skills labs into distinct, working manufacturing nodes that include industrial sewing, industrial screen printing, metal cutting, quality/testing, assembly, a new pump maintenance node and shipping. Training in these areas is supported in large part by the Real Jobs RI program.

When we are fully scaled up, students will learn the processes in the labs, then practice and develop competence by completing real work in the nodes. We have a central training room for soft skills and clean-room procedures training. Our new safety training area will allow us to expand our popular Safety Technician program.

In addition to integrating training with manufacturing, we have a Career Exploration Center that will allow us to hold weekly job fairs and invite the community to explore the many facets of advanced manufacturing.

PBN: What have been some recent additions to your programming lineup there?

JACKSON: Our Safety Technician program for mid- to upper management has been expanded to include COVID-19 Safety Officer training. We also have the space to expand our Power Industrial Truck training program. Since forklifts and pallet jacks are used at many employers in every neighborhood, this certification is a pathway to a better paycheck for many, including those for whom manufacturing isn’t the right fit.

Our space allows us to take on seasonal work, especially for the holidays. For the work that takes place during the summer, we can bring in high school students and offer them employment, as well as training that leads to great careers in manufacturing. Space allows us to accept small manufacturing runs and prototypes that are perfect for skills building year-round for our adult students.

The recent changes we’ve made due to the COVID-19 virus [have] resulted in our training moving to a distance-learning format. While we need to complete more than one cycle to validate what we’re seeing at inception, this seems to be very attractive to our students. We’ve doubled our normal class size, so we’re curious to see the cohort outcomes.

For now, we are offering our space as a short-term, turn-key solution for manufacturers that need to quickly scale up for producing medical equipment and supplies or who need immediate relief to distance their workers. Our space is all set to go with heavy-duty electric, compressed air and loading docks. We can even help by providing qualified talent if necessary.

PBN: Did the interior of the new space need extensive renovation?

JACKSON: Our landlord, Handles Unlimited, is a manufacturer that occupies about 70% of the facility. Everything was ready to go, except our main skills lab, a break room and expanded lavatory facilities that are ADA [Americans with Disabilities Act] compliant. The Champlin Foundation awarded us a grant for the bathroom expansion.

The major expenses we face going forward involve acquisition of equipment for our main manufacturing nodes. We’ll have to raise funds to acquire the equipment, but with the introduction of prototyping, seasonal work and short-run manufacturing orders, our ability to offer a revenue stream will make the fundraising a little easier.

PBN: How has the coronavirus crisis changed how you partner with manufacturers?

JACKSON: We still offer targeted training for employers – just on a virtual platform. Over the past four years, we have worked with most manufacturers in Rhode Island, either through our training and placement program or through our apprentice program.

The big change due to the virus is how we are using our shop floor. Since we aren’t rolling out our own short-run manufacturing space right now, we are looking for manufacturers who want to rent part of our turn-key space to do their own manufacturing. We are offering small or large ready-to-go footprints. We have a loading dock and our own forklift operator, sufficient power and compressed air. We have a COVID-19 safety officer who will keep all of us safe. And, if additional workers are required, we can help manufacturers find them and assist with training. Or, in some cases, we’ll do the work for you.

Susan Shalhoub is a PBN contributing writer.