Department of Labor and Training - Page 2 of 4

LONG-TERM CAREER: Kevin Bloyed, a CNC machining instructor at We Make RI and a machinist at Dean Machine in Cranston, said he tries to impart to his students that manufacturing can put them on a long-term career path. / PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

Q&A: Kevin Bloyed

Education 10/02/2019

Kevin Bloyed | Dean Machine Inc. machinist, instructor in We Make RI program Kevin Bloyed of South Kingstown has spent time working in retail, restaurants...

UPDATING THE PATH A new collaboration between the Westerly Education Center, the R.I. Department of Labor and Training, the R.I. Office of the Postsecondary Commissioner and businesses across the state, with support from the Real Jobs Rhode Island initiative, is training the next generation of process technicians and chemical operators, positions needed in the brewing, medical research and consumer products industries, among others. The program requires a high school diploma or GED to begin, takes eight weeks of both classroom learning and hands-on training,  and is free. Here, Clarke Richmond makes circuits to control fluids at the WEC. / PBN PHOTO/BRIAN MCDONALD

Paths to manufacturing jobs grow

Manufacturing 10/01/2019

Perhaps it was an extraordinary run as a major manufacturer in a number of industries, one that kept the state looking backward instead of...

As blumshapiro’s industry leader for its construction and real estate group, Luke Ebersold has significant responsibilities. But his move to Rhode Island has given him personal satisfaction, as well as exposure  to the state’s workforce- development programs. / PBN PHOTO/DAVE HANSEN

Responsive government helps develop workforce in way industry needs

Financial Services 09/13/2019

Luke Ebersold | Blum, Shapiro & Co. PC Rhode Island managing partner Even though I’ve spent the last several years living and working in Connecticut,...

Too many contractors exploit workers

Editorial and Op-Ed 05/31/2019

As a state with a lot of competing interests, Rhode Island knows that solving a problem means you’ve got to work together. Today, our...

MAKING CONNECTIONS: Tyrone A. Smith, left, director of employment and housing at Operation Stand Down Rhode Island, meets with Tim Ruel, veterans employment and training specialist, and Lindsey Arigno, veterans employment specialist. OSDRI assists veterans who are seeking jobs.  / PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

Government, nonprofits, companies help veterans surmount employment hurdles

Focus 05/24/2019

When Elexious Dasilva was discharged from the U.S. Army last November after serving for two years, she knew she needed to find a job...

RHODE ISLAND UNEMPLOYMENT declined 0.4 percentage points year over year to 3.7% in April. / COURTESY R.I. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR AND TRAINING

DLT: RI’s unemployment declines in April as jobs added

Economic Activity 05/16/2019

PROVIDENCE – The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell slightly in April as 5,000 more jobs were added year over year, according to the...

More good jobs will improve R.I.’s personal income

Economy 05/10/2019

Gov. Gina M. Raimondo has been on a mission for more than four years now to grow the number and improve the quality and...

Employers getting ‘skin’ in job training

Government 04/05/2019

Part of Rhode Island’s economic future depends on the state’s ability to keep pushing the envelope on job training, and that includes getting employers...

CONFIDENCE WANING? Matt Fair, center, of Hayes & Sherry Real Estate Services, listens with colleagues during PBN’s first Economic Trends Summit in Providence on Feb. 15. Panelists said perennial concerns such as rising health care costs and uncertainty about changing federal policies are dampening optimism about an otherwise strong economy.  / PBN PHOTO/RUPERT WHITELEY

Optimism tempered by uncertainty

Economy 02/22/2019

Rhode Island’s economy is doing well, but a handful of perennial bugaboos, along with actions at the federal level, have dampened the business community’s...