Winter 2007 Newsletter
Workforce Investment Board receives $135K for manufacturing workforce development
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger awarded the Workforce Investment Board of Solano County (WIB) a $135,475 grant to create a Solano County manufacturers workforce task force.
The Taskforce will draw together manufacturers, educators, trainers, workforce professionals, and others to actively address the employment and training needs of manufacturers in the County.
The goal is to create a comprehensive local response to a critical shortage of key personnel in the manufacturing sector. Manufacturers are having a difficult time hiring skilled industrial electricians, mechanics and maintenance technicians. Due to manufacturing processes becoming more high-tech and complex, some manufacturing jobs no longer hold a single array of skills like machinist or electrician. The industry is evolving, requiring employees be trained in “megatronics”, which is an integration of mechanical and electronics skills.
The Task Force will pair manufacturers with existing training programs and workforce development professionals to upgrade the skills of current employees, while at the same time, leading the development of new training programs and educational curricula to increase the pool of qualified workers.
The grant will provide for basic committee support, research efforts, formulation of priorities and partnerships, marshalling of resources, and creation of sustainability plans for the Committee.
Solano manufacturers will lead the Task Force, but the WIB will provide staff support. The WIB launched the project this month with a meeting of the members of Fairfield’s manufacturing taskforce.
The Fairfield group was convened when City staff learned from local manufacturers that there is a growing gap between skilled positions available and trained technicians to fill those positions. This deficit is a national problem.
The City brought educators and service providers to the table, who proved willing to develop the school curricula and training programs local manufacturers need to train a highly skilled manufacturing workforce. The educational partners in this initiative include the Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District, Solano Community College and Solano County Office of Education. In June 2006, the City hosted a roundtable luncheon in which manufacturers and the partner agencies came together to discuss growing a skilled workforce.
The next step for the new Task Force is to take the Fairfield initiative countywide.
“We are excited about this. I've already given verbal notice to the County Board of Supervisors, and they are very supportive of our WIB's effort,” stated Robert Bloom, WIB Executive Director.
