Federal grant will help train job seekers

A recent grant award will help local job seekers develop skills necessary for service jobs.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a $94,000 grant to the Jefferson County Industrial Development Agency for a training program last week. The grant, under the Rural Business Enterprise Grant Program, is a piece of $15.3 million in funding announced July 28 from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

JCIDA has long heard from employers on the lack of "soft skills" among possible employees, the board agreed at its meeting Tuesday morning. Soft skills include punctuality, proper attire, phone etiquette and interview skills.

Recently, Stream Global Services Inc. in particular has asked for help in developing soft skills.

"It took on new urgency because Stream has talked about bringing a substantial number of offshore jobs to Watertown," JCIDA Chief Executive Officer Donald C. Alexander said.

A training program for potential employees on basic soft skills would cut down on the weeks of training that Stream, or any other employer, would have to give. Stream's initial training usually runs eight to 10 weeks, Mr. Alexander said.

The program could plug prospective employees into existing programs through the Workforce Investment Board, Jefferson Community College and the Jefferson-Lewis Board of Cooperative Educational Services.

One example is JCC's collaboration with The Workplace at JCC to establish the Work NOW certificate program. It gives people a skills assessment, then places them into seminars or workshops on necessary skills based on the assessment.

"It's about being work-ready," said Jill M. Bettinger, JCC's dean for continuing education.

Outgoing JCIDA Deputy CEO Patrick J. Kelly led the application for the grant from USDA. He said JCIDA and the educational institutions will be meeting to plan out implementation.

"We want to combine what's going on and make the most of the grant," he said.

In other business, JCIDA's board approved, in concept, offering a bridge loan to cover the costs of manufacturers implementing productivity and efficiency projects through National Grid's Manufacturing Productivity Program. There is a possible pilot through a manufacturer in the city of Watertown. The loan for that or any future applicant must go through the normal approval process by JCIDA.

The board also agreed to convey a small, landlocked, triangular piece of property in the Jefferson County Corporate Park to Car-Freshner Corp., the adjacent property owner.