Press Release
U.S. Department of Commerce Invests Nearly $1.3 Million to Support Workforce Development in Massachusetts
Contact: Public Affairs Department, (202) 482-4085
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
WASHINGTON - U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker today announced that the Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding the City of Springfield $1.29 million to build a skills training facility that supports technical training in the precision manufacturing and construction trades.
“The Obama Administration and Commerce Department are committed to supporting a talented and skilled workforce for today’s 21st century jobs,” said Secretary Pritzker. “The EDA investment announced today will help the City of Springfield provide skills training in areas like advanced manufacturing that help meet the current needs of employers in the region.”
Currently, there is a lack of job training program space available to the population of some of Springfield's most needy neighborhoods. The EDA investment supports the construction of an 11,400-square-foot technical training facility that will provide space to conduct work skills training in the precision manufacturing and construction trades industry. According to the grantee, the facility will enable up to 65 new job placements during its first year of operations and over 197 new jobs over a nine-year period.
The City has partnered with the New England Carpenters Training Fund, the Western Massachusetts Chapter of the National Tooling and Manufacturing Association (WMNTMA), the Walker Trust, the Regional Employment Board of Hampden County, Inc., Roger L. Putnam Vocational Technical Academy and Springfield Technical Community College, to address employment barriers and to train workers to fill the shortage of qualified technical job applicants in the region. Through these partnerships, the city will offer educational workshops, incumbent employee training courses and programs, and business management seminars to ensure that the precision machining industry workforce is prepared with the technical knowledge to compete in the global economy.
About the U.S. Economic Development Administration (www.eda.gov)
The mission of the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) is to lead the federal economic development agenda by promoting competitiveness and preparing the nation's regions for growth and success in the worldwide economy. An agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce, EDA makes investments in economically distressed communities in order to create jobs for U.S. workers, promote American innovation, and accelerate long-term sustainable economic growth.