Press Releases
On November 1st, Vacumet Paper received the first installment of a $134,200 Workforce Training Fund grant recently awarded by the State of Massachusetts. The team applied for the grant in May. The Workforce Training Fund is financed entirely by Massachusetts’s employers and was enacted into law in 1998. The mission of the Fund is to help workers enhance their existing skills, to introduce them to new technologies, production methods and customer satisfaction tools and to maintain the economic strength and viability of the Commonwealth’s businesses. Training funded by this program typically addresses 1) projects that will result in job retention, job growth or increased wages and 2) projects where training will make a difference in the company’s productivity and competitiveness. The overall belief is that to remain productive and competitive, Massachusetts businesses need employees with up-to-date, leading-edge skills.
The Franklin, MA site will use the grant to upgrade the skills of its workforce. The primary area of focus will be Yellow and Green Belt training in support of the site’s Process Control and Variation Reduction initiative. The purpose of this initiative is to improve the control of critical process variables and reduce variation in the products we deliver to our customers. Success in this effort is expected to have a very positive effect for our customers and sets a strong foundation for further expansion of Lean Sigma tools and methodology.
Dan Gray, Franklin’s Quality and C.I. Manager and Mark Whittaker, Franklin’s Plant Manager are working with local training providers to design and deliver the on-site curriculum. Most Franklin-based employees will receive a minimum of 16 hours of classroom instruction over the next 24 months. Some individuals will receive as much as 40 hours of targeted training. The process has already begun, with the Yellow Belt Training leading the way.
