VTC Granted $750K
To Help Businesses
Train Workers
By Sandy Cooch

In response to a looming "workforce crisis" in Vermont, Sen. Patrick Leahy announced Monday at Vermont Technical College that he has secured $750,000 in federal funds to train working Vermonters in the skills that they—and their employers—need.

The promised funding will allow the state’s Workforce Development Council and VTC’s Technology Extension Division to continue identifying needs, and then designing and delivering the training needed.

Leahy, a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, secured the funds in a budget bill for the U.S. Department of Labor. This grant is the fifth in seven years for workforce development secured by Leahy for VTC.

The last round of funding allowed VTC’s Technology Extension Division to provide more than 1200 hours of training to more than 3200 participants.

Kate McEachan, human resources officer at a manufacturing firm in Winooski, volunteered a testimonial to the effectiveness of these custom-designed training programs.

The firm, Twin Craft, is the second largest "private label" soap manufacturer in the U.S., she said, and its success rests on its one-of-a-kind production equipment.

McEachan said VTC developed an electronic training course specifically geared for the company’s manufacturing maintenance workers. Twelve Twin Craft mechanics completed the course, greatly improving their ability to maintain the company’s "intellectual property" machinery, she said.

Allan Evans, director of Vermont’s Workforce Development Council, said that the grant will allow his organization to continue to seek out current and future training needs, for existing Vermont firms as well as those interested in locating here. VTC will used those perceived needs to develop training programs.

Evans noted that Vermont has no control over national interest rates or trade policies. What the state does have, he said, is "the opportunity to distinguish itself by having the best workforce."

In his comments, VTC Pres. Ty Handy noted that more than 70% of employers interviewed by regional workforce investment boards report they have passed up opportunities to expand their businesses because they could not find workers who could handle the project requirements.

Of the top ten fastest growing jobs in Vermont, it was noted, seven require two-year college degrees or more for entry, and two others require specific post-high school training.

Robert Clarke, chancellor of the Vermont State Colleges and former VTC president, stated that the entire VSC system is "dedicated to workforce education." He noted VTC’s long history of delivering training to Vermont businesses: VTC was training IBM workers when Clarke first came to the VTC campus in 1984.

Sen. Leahy and other speakers emphasized in their comments Monday that the state’s "workforce crisis" is real. Vermont's workforce is older than the average in most states, and most skilled workers are already employed.

"One of the keys to Vermont's economic progress is matching the needs of our fastest growing industries with the availability of a skilled Vermont workforce," said Leahy. "The projected decline in the number of working Vermonters, coupled with the aging of our state's population, will require the state to do more work with fewer people."

It will be a challenge, Leahy said in comments after the formal speechifying, but the right programs can help Vermont succeed in growing and attracting businesses.

It is anticipated work under the new grant will begin within the next 12 months.