Local companies received positive news last Thursday about an excellent opportunity to add high wage positions to their payrolls in 2012.
The information session was held at Salina Vortex and was hosted by the Salina Area Chamber of Commerce. Representatives from 13 local manufacturing and engineering companies attended and were briefed by Kansas Department of Commerce officials on how to take advantage of an engineer training grant that is available through the Kansas Department of Commerce.
The Kansas Department of Commerce has been awarded a $5 million, four-year technical skills training grant by the U.S. Department of Labor. The grant can be used by employers for on-the-job training to support the hiring of new engineers and this grant fund is intended to create greater opportunities for Kansans.
The individuals eligible for training funded by the grant can be both recent graduates not currently employed in the field and other dislocated or unemployed engineers who meet educational prerequisites but may lack the specialized skills and experience necessary for a particular engineering job opportunity.
Employers have the potential to receive up to $25,000 per individual. “The grant will definitely allow us to continue hiring and growing our business by offsetting a portion of our training investment in new Engineers.” said Brad Strathe, CFO of Kasa Companies, Inc.
Tucky Allen, Business Services Manager with KansasWorks said of the meeting; “The turnout was very good and the interest was high. It was great to be able to present the information to employers so that they know the exact steps to access the training funds.” In addition to the engineer training grant, the Kansas Department of Commerce and the local KansasWorks office have a variety of resources and assistance programs that help employers with recruiting, retention, training, hiring assistance, job fair coordination and other training grant funds.
Individuals and companies interested in learning more about the engineer training grant are encouraged to contact the Salina KansasWorks office at 785-827-0385.