Workforce Board gives R.I. firms $560K

PROVIDENCE – The Governor’s Workforce Board Rhode Island has awarded $560,000 in matching grants to 26 local companies looking to train 1,370 employees, the R.I. Department of Labor and Training announced Thursday.

The grants, which range in size from $1,100 to $50,000, will help employees improve their existing skill sets. Training areas run the gamut from environmental design to three-dimensional modeling software, network security to Google Analytics, and leadership to workplace safety.

“Ensuring that we have a well-trained work force is one of the most important steps we can take to grow jobs and improve our economy,” Gov. Donald L. Carcieri said in a statement. “I commend the Governor’s Workforce Board for their continued response to address the needs to ensure we have a highly skilled work force and to enhance our ability to compete in the global marketplace.”

The board, which held its annual meeting Thursday, said it received 144 applications for the matching grants, and it expects to fund additional proposals from the applicant pool as more funding becomes available.

- Advertisement -

The board is chaired by The Washington Trust Co. Chairman, President and CEO Joseph MarcAurele, whose company was awarded $16,900 in matching grants on Thursday.

Funding for the grants comes from the state’s Job Development Fund, a pool of money financed by employer payroll taxes, through the R.I. Human Resource Investment Council. The Workforce Board awarded $14 million in fiscal 2009.

Recipients, listed by grant size:

  • Gem Plumbing & Heating Services Inc., Lincoln, $50,000
  • Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island, Providence, $50,000
  • Rite-Solutions Inc., Middletown, $50,000
  • Carousel Industries of North America Inc., Exeter, $49,900
  • Lighthouse Computer Services Inc., Lincoln, $48,800
  • Envision Technology Advisors LLC, Providence, $47,400
  • International Packaging Corp., Pawtucket, $43,200
  • Senesco Marine LLC, North Kingstown, $39,400
  • Psychological Centers Inc., Providence, $28,100
  • BankNewport, Middletown, $24,300
  • Vishay Sprague Inc., Warwick, $18,900
  • The Washington Trust Co., Westerly, $16,900
  • Vision 3 Architects Inc., Providence, $16,700
  • Technical Materials Inc., Lincoln, $15,100
  • Judd Brown Designs Inc., Pawtucket, $12,800
  • Central Tools Inc., Cranston, $10,500
  • Ralco Industries Inc., Woonsocket, $10,000
  • Rhode Island Credit Union, Providence, $5,100
  • A.B. Munroe Dairy Inc., East Providence, $5,000
  • Acropolis Studios Inc., Cranston, $4,080
  • Overhead Door Co. of Providence Inc., Warwick, $4,000
  • Lighthouse Security Group LLC, Lincoln, $3,700
  • Propel LLC, Providence, $2,700
  • Rhode Island Community Food Bank, Providence, $2,200
  • Industrial Pump Sales & Service Inc., Tiverton, $2,000
  • EPAC Software Technologies Inc., East Greenwich, $1,100

Additional information is available at rihric.com.

No posts to display