PHILADELPHIA & HATFIELD, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A new manufacturing training program, Mobile Outreach Skills Training (M.O.S.T®), is launching in the Greater Philadelphia region to help meet the growing demand for specialized manufacturing talent. The unique training program is being introduced to Southeastern Pennsylvania manufacturers through the Delaware Valley Industrial Resource Center (DVIRC), an economic development organization that focuses exclusively on the region’s manufacturing community, and Fiber-Line, Inc., a growing manufacturing company in Montgomery County that is piloting the program and committed to hiring the trainees.
M.O.S.T.® is a fast-track, intensive skills training, recruitment, assessment and placement program, which prepares unemployed and underemployed individuals for front line production jobs in a fraction of the time of traditional programs. It is the only training program that begins with a commitment from an employer to hire the individuals who successfully complete an initial two-week training. Areas of concentration include machining and machine operation, CNC and welding.
“M.O.S.T.® provided a tremendous opportunity for our Company to tailor a training program to fit our exact business needs and to help develop high-demand manufacturing skills among the unemployed or underemployed locally,” said Jeff Tintle, chief operations officer at Fiber-Line. “We are confident that the program will quickly result in productive and invaluable team members who will help us advance our business goals.”
“Introducing M.O.S.T.® to our region is a big win for local manufacturers and their communities and we proudly commend Fiber-Line for undertaking the inaugural pilot program,” said Joseph J. Houldin, chief executive officer of DVIRC. “In any given month, there are more than 1,000 local manufacturing jobs that simply cannot be filled as a result of unqualified prospects —this represents a significant loss of opportunity for residents in the region. We believe that this new initiative will create a skilled labor force to begin filling that employment void.”
The first group of eleven (11) trainees is set to graduate Friday, June 15 in a company celebration and will immediately move on to a second phase of on-the-job training. The 26-week training program consists of three phases:
- Phase 1: Two weeks of intensive skills training based on a customized curriculum developed jointly by the technical training staff and the sponsoring employer. The training takes place on a state-of-the-art mobile unit equipped with 3-D machining and welding simulators. Once complete, the trainees graduate and enter their new jobs.
- Phase 2: Eight weeks of on-the-job mentor-based training, leading to the ability of trainees to independently operate sophisticated manufacturing machines or perform other technically advanced job functions.
- Phase 3: Sixteen weeks of on-site advanced mentoring to ensure the success and advancement of the new hire in the workplace.
Since its inception in 2006, M.O.S.T.® has served nearly 1,000 workers in eight states with a training completion rate of 97 percent, a job placement rate of 95 percent and a six-month job retention rate of 91 percent.
The Montgomery County Workforce Investment Board is supporting the program; and the PA Department of Labor and Industry is conducting two separate pilot programs in the region. The Norristown Career Link helped to identify and screen recruits.
For more information, please visit www.mostjobstraining.com.
About Fiber-Line
Fiber-Line® Inc., founded in 1987 and headquartered in Hatfield, Pa, is an International company providing high-performance, coated, specialty fibers to the Fiber Optic Cable, Oil and Gas, Composite and Industrial markets. With over 160 employees and three manufacturing facilities (Hatfield, PA, Hickory, NC and Leeuwarden, The Netherlands) Fiber-Line is the Knowledge Center for Fiber Technology supplying custom solutions to over fifty countries throughout the world. For more information, visit www.fiber-lineinc.com.
About DVIRC
DVIRC is a private, non-profit economic development organization established in 1988 to serve the needs of 4,500 small and mid-sized manufacturers in five counties throughout the Philadelphia region. The organization’s primary focus is to grow business value for clients through consulting services (strategic planning, market, sales, product development, and operational excellence), training and education, executive network groups and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) talent development. Our vision is to establish the region as an internationally recognized leader in manufacturing competitiveness. We believe growing business value improves the standard of living and quality of life for those that live and/or work in the region. DVIRC maintains multi-year performance based contracts with the National Institute of Standards & Technology Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (NIST/MEP) under the U.S. Department of Commerce and Pennsylvania’s Department of Community & Economic Development. DVIRC is a co-applicant and founding member of the Energy Efficient Buildings Hub (EEB Hub). A diverse board of directors comprised of executives from the manufacturing, banking, legal and economic development communities govern the DVIRC.