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A Speedy Transition from Dislocated to Employed WIB and New Bedford Tactical Gear, LLC Help Former Eagle Industries Workers NEW BEDFORD -- On Wednesday, September 30, 2009 the Greater New Bedford Workforce Investment Board, Inc. (WIB) held its quarterly meeting at Konarka Technologies, Inc. Mitch Cahn of the recently-opened New Bedford Tactical Gear, LLC, spoke at the event about his recent experience with the WIB. Director Michael Taylor of the Department of Workforce Development put Cahn in touch with the WIB in the beginning of August. There, he met with Bridget Alexander, Director of Development, to discuss opportunities for training and hiring 15 unemployed textile workers formerly employed by Eagle Industries. “You have a huge pool of skilled garment workers, a local garment infrastructure, inexpensive mill space, and great Portuguese food,” said Cahn referring to the decision to set up shop in New Bedford. Working side by side with Cahn, the WIB funded training workshops conducted by the Massachusetts Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MassMEP) for this group of dislocated workers. The Greater New Bedford Career Center verified their Workforce Investment Act eligibility. At just a few hundred dollars per person, the 15 former Eagle Industries employees completed the MassMEP Lean-101 seminar to prepare them for work at New Bedford Tactical Gear, LLC. The eight hour seminar was offered in three different languages in a simulated factory. The future employees were able to familiarize themselves with the terminology and workforce changes associated with New Bedford Tactical Gear, LLC, from a Lean manufacturing perspective. Workers began the very next day following the seminar as full-time New Bedford Tactical Gear, LLC employees. Cahn commented, “With the help of the WIB, the entire process of facilitating, training, and hiring took less than a month to complete.” Going forward New Bedford Tactical Gear, LLC will have a need for more training workshops as new products are introduced and new employees are hired. The WIB has already secured over $500,000 in through the state’s Rapid Response Set-Aside funds. The WIB will be submitting a National Emergency Grant proposal for additional funds to train and serve any of the 350 dislocated workers from Eagle Industries and other manufacturing companies in the New Bedford region. “We’ll continue to work with Mitch and other companies in the community to identify their needs, and make every effort to prepare these workers for available jobs. It’s great to see there’s work for them,” said WIB Executive Director/CEO Leonard Coriaty. 227 Union Street, Suite 206, New Bedford, MA 02740-5946 PH 508.979.1504 • FAX 508.979.5680 E-mail: Webmaster@gnbwib.org |