Learn Entry Level Skills with New Training Program

In Greenfield, MA, a new training program is beginning that will help local residents find work and learn essential entry level skills, according to The Recorder. The program is targeting unemployed residents that have a desire to learn entry level skills for working with local companies, especially in manufacturing, labor and general work readiness skills.

The entry level skills training program is going to be free to those who qualify and offered at Greenfield Community College. The school and partnering organizations will provide a minimum of 40 people with 80 hours of mechanical and manufacturing skills. The funding comes from a $69,617 grant that was awarded to them by the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education for improving the skills of local workforces and help residents who are either unemployed or underplayed learn what they need to further their career.

Some of the things that will be taught in the training programs include using basic math and measuring tools, including using various materials in the manufacturing field. Aside from learning these skills, the students will also be working in an Occupational Safety and Health Administration certification program that is great for their resume, including helping them write a cover letter and learning about being professional in the workplace.

There are two main benefits to the program; students in the program can train directly for specific jobs like in shipping and receiving, assembly, or production, and for providing a stepping stone to higher level programs, like an advanced manufacturing program that requires some entry level knowledge of the industry, tools, and materials. There are currently a limited amount of applicants for such programs, which could soon change with this free training program. Many of the jobs students are training for pay up to an average of $28,000 a year, far better than unemployment or government funding they might currently be receiving.

Partners in the project include others with second and third groups of students for additional entry level skills, such as the Franklin County Technical School providing a course of 220 hours to teach computer-aided manufacturing skills. The first 80-hour course for manufacturing training and skills has not yet been determined, but it has already been decided they will be working closely with local organizations, such as the Center for New Americans, and The Literacy Project. The first group of students is 40 students starting their training program in the next couple months, followed by another group in the summer.

Moving forward, 100 total students are being granted access to the available training programs, along with a subscription of online software called Tooling U, to help them more skill learning opportunities, including interactive tutorials in the manufacturing field.

Where can you find the most Entry Level jobs? Click here.