State awards Aisin, Eagle Bend training grants

Information from WYSH Radio

Two Clinton manufacturing facilities have been awarded Incumbent Worker Training grants by the state of Tennessee.

On Wednesday, Gov. Bill Haslam and Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development Commissioner Burns Phillips announced that a $25,000 grant has been awarded to Eagle Bend Manufacturing and that Aisin Automotive Casting Tennessee Inc. received the same amount.

The Eagle Bend grant will provide 76 employees with training in repair/welder qualification and re-qualification, advanced product quality planning (APQP), and FANUC (handling tool operation and programming).

The Aisin grant will provide 10 of that company’s employees with training in mechanical class and maintenance.

“Incumbent worker grants provide critical training and education to employees across the state in the continued effort to have a workforce that meets current marketplace demands,” Haslam said.

“In 2014, we will give $750,000 to 37 companies throughout the state,” Phillips said. “As a result, 1,316 workers will benefit from the training these grants are providing.”

Since the program’s inception, Incumbent Worker Training grants have assisted more than 650 businesses by providing $15 million to train approximately 52,000 employees.

Certain criteria must be met to qualify for the Incumbent Worker Training Program. First, employers must be in operation in Tennessee for at least one year prior to their application date. Employers must have at least five full-time employees, demonstrate financial viability, and be current on all state tax obligations.

Funding priority is given to businesses whose grant proposals represent a significant layoff-avoidance strategy and represent a significant upgrade of skills.

In their application for the grant, Eagle Bend Manufacturing stated this grant would allow the incumbent worker to gain the skills necessary to properly program the robots to perform specific functions, utilize APQP tools to manage the APQP processes, and increase production with higher quality while promoting a layoff aversion strategy.

In their application for the grant, Aisin Automotive Casting Tennessee Inc. stated the funds would be used to enhance the skill levels in the maintenance department to interact with state-of-the-art equipment, minimize downtime, and have repairs completed in-house. This will result in saving time and money while also promoting a layoff-aversion strategy.

The East Tennessee Human Resource Agency played a key role in obtaining both grants.

The Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development administers the Incumbent Worker Training program, which has been structured to be flexible to meet the individual business’s training objectives. The business may use public, private, or its own in-house training provider based on the nature of the training.

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