PROVIDENCE – The Governor’s Workforce Board announced Monday that it has awarded more than $60,000 in “Express Grants” to 20 local firms.
The strategic investments will partially fund skills training for 344 employees.
The grants are offered as rapid micro-investments — matching up to $5,000 in training dollars — as opposed to the annual Incumbent Worker training grants, which match company funding as high as $40,000.
The 2013 program, which runs through June, also included an internship incentive. Twenty-five percent of grant-receiving firms agreed to host an intern. The companies’ matching contributions were then reduced to $2,500 — with the difference covered by the board — in all creating five internship positions.
“The internship incentive is valuable on two fronts,” Gov. Lincoln D. Chafee said in prepared remarks, “It provides additional financial support to Rhode Island businesses, and it creates opportunities for the next generation of workers to learn on the job.”
Applications for the Express Grant program are available at www.gwb.ri.gov.
Grant winners by city/town:
Cranston
- Family Health Care Ltd. – $2,051 to train three on urgent medical billing and coding.
East Greenwich
- Bardon Industries – $445 to train two through the Association of Water Technologies.
Glocester
- Resnevic Dental LLC – $1,266 to train nine in insurance billing, continuing care and/or treatment planning; internship offered.
Middletown
- BankNewport – $5,000 to train 64 employees in customer referral skills.
Newport
- Island Moving Company – $1,290 to train four employees in dance company best practices; internship offered.
- Village House – $2,500 to train two in dementia education.
North Kingstown
- Dominion Diagnostics LLC – $2,693 to train three in Lean and Six Sigma techniques.
- Senesco Marine LLC – $3,303 to train four in Occupation Safety and Health Administration standards and related testing; internship offered.
North Smithfield
- MWV Slatersville LLC – $5,000 to train 12 in electronic troubleshooting and manufacturing software troubleshooting.
Providence
- Coastal Medical – $3,680 to train 80 in medication reconciliation.
- Durkee Brown Viveiros & Werenfels Architects Inc. – $2,840 to train six in design and modeling software.
- Mt. Pleasant Hardware – $2,500 to train 10 in sales and purchasing software; internship offered.
- Mojo Tech – $5,000 to train 15 in Web development tools.
Smithfield
- Precision Turned Components – $5,000 to train 15 in management and project leader training.
Tiverton
- Sixteen on Center – $1,440 to train five in advanced cabinetry and AutoCAD drafting skills; internship offered.
Warwick
- In-Sight – $2,000 to train five on client interviewing techniques.
- SyNet Inc. – $269 to train three in OSHA compliance procedures.
West Warwick
- Amtrol Inc. – $5,000 to train two in welding technology.
- Cox Communications – $5,000 to train 96 in leadership training.
- Lincoln Energy Mechanical Services – $4,250 to train four in heating, ventilation and air conditioning estimation software.
