June 15, 2005
ROMNEY AWARDS $8.5 MILLION IN WORKFORCE TRAINING FUNDS
Makes statewide push for economic stimulus bill to create more jobs
Governor Mitt Romney today awarded $8.5 million in Workforce Training Fund grants to 72 businesses across Massachusetts and continued his statewide campaign to pass a real economic stimulus package.
“These funds to train our workforce in cutting edge technologies and workforce efficiencies are absolutely critical to enhancing Massachusetts’ competitive edge,” said Romney, who announced the grants at Western Massachusetts Electric Company (WMECO), which received a $188,000 grant to train 310 employees.
Administered by the Department of Workforce Development, the Workforce Training Fund provides businesses with matching grants to provide job-related training to current employees. This current round of grants will help train 11,600 employees. Since being launched seven years ago, more than $104 million has been awarded to nearly 1,500 companies to train 153,000 workers statewide.
“Technology within the utility industry is rapidly evolving and our workforce needs to keep pace with these changes,” said WMECO President and Chief Operating Officer Rodney O. Powell. “These funds will help train and develop our workforce so we can use new technologies, improve our productivity and ensure we are safely and efficiently delivering electricity to our customers.”
WMECO, a subsidiary of Northeast Utilities and is the largest electric distribution company in Western Massachusetts, serving more than 200,000 customers in 59 communities. The company will make $40 million of investments in its distribution system over the next two years, and employees will be trained on the latest software to manage system changes.
The Governor has committed to fully funding the Workforce Training Fund for $21 million for the next fiscal year, and extending the program through 2008. Recent program enhancements include the use of online applications and a rolling review to speed grant requests of up to $50,000. Employers using the online application can receive decisions on their grant application within 45 days.
The following grants were awarded in this latest round:
· 13 grants in Western Massachusetts totaling $1.11 million to train 1,740 employees;
· Seven grants in Central Massachusetts totaling $1.48 million to train 1,103 employees;
· Nine grants in Northeast Massachusetts totaling $1.09 million to train 1,313 employees;
· 32 grants in Greater Boston totaling $4 million to train 6,719 employees;
· 11 grants in Southeast Massachusetts totaling $832,900 to train 750 employees.
For more information on the Workforce Training Fund and a complete listing of grant recipients, visit www.mass.gov/wtf.
Later in the day, Romney continued to push for passage of his economic stimulus bill to keep Massachusetts’ recovery strong. Addressing the Berkshire Chamber of Commerce in Pittsfield and then at a meeting with small business leaders in Worcester, Romney said his plan would help businesses add jobs by providing incentives and targeting the state’s highest-in-the-nation unemployment insurance system.
“We’ve had a lot of success over the last two years reforming government and putting the state back in sound fiscal condition. But there is still more to do,” said Romney. “It’s time to build on that success by passing an economic stimulus bill that provides real job-creating incentives to employers and helps ensure that we don’t backslide to the days of economic stagnation.”
To sustain and accelerate Massachusetts’ economic recovery Romney proposed an economic stimulus bill in March that would use nearly $500 million in incentives to help businesses attract at least 20,000 new jobs to the state over the next five years.
Comments (0)
You don't have permission to comment on this page.