University seeks grant for training program

By Ed Runyan

About 45 local companies are interested in having workers get the training.

CHAMPION — Kent State University’s Workforce Development and Continuing Studies Center is hoping to tap into a new source of government funding to further expand a maintenance training program popular with V&M Star Steel of Youngstown.

Lisa Goetch, workforce development director, is applying to the Appalachian Regional Commission, of which Trumbull County became a member last year, seeking $205,500 to put toward a $411,000 expansion of an existing training program.

Goetch was able to secure letters from 30 different companies and agencies behind the idea, but the biggest commitment may have been from V&M Star Steel, which is contemplating a $1 billion expansion in Youngstown.

V&M Star has committed to spending $70,000 on the program to train additional maintenance workers, Goetch said. About 45 other companies are interested in having their workers participate in the training, but V&M is the only company committing money to it, she said. Each would pay half of the program’s cost of $2,500 per worker.

About 30 V&M workers began the yearlong training program this summer. The additional $70,000 would pay for training for up 60 more workers. All are current employees in mechanical and electrical maintenance positions, not workers who would be hired because of the proposed expansion, Goetch said.

If V&M does expand here, it will need an additional 100 maintenance workers, Goetch said.

The Workforce Development program started the training program after receiving a $239,000 federal grant with the help of U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Niles, D-17th in 2008. There are 60 workers enrolled.

It consists of 600 hours of training, most of it done with an Internet connection and a computer.

If the Appalachian Regional Commission approves the funding, the program could be expanded from its current offerings to more hands-on training and open up the training to more people, especially those with lesser amounts of experience in the field, Goetch said.

The program currently is aimed at experienced maintenance workers needing to update their skills. The average age of industrial maintenance workers is 57 years old, Goetch noted.

Such training is needed in the Mahoning Valley because many workers have left skilled trades jobs through buyouts or retirements at places such as General Motors’ Lordstown complex and need additional training to provide maintenance at smaller shops, Goetch said.

runyan@vindy.com