Advance Welding gets grant to expand training

July 8, 2016 | Carter Sokolowski

SPRINGFIELD – On June 27, state Sen. Eric Lesser and state Rep. Jose Tosado visited Advanced Welding on Brookdale Drive to take a tour of the facility after it was announced that the company would receive a $30,385 grant from the Executive Office of Workforce and Labor.

This grant comes through the Workforce Training Grant Program. Lesser serves as Senate Chairman of the Joint Legislative Caucus. The $30,385 grant is just one piece of the $1.5 million Lesser was able to secure in the FY16 budget to expand a training program for workers in interested in precision manufacturing.

The tour of the facility was conducted by Advanced Welding President Christopher Kielb. Before the start of the tour, Lesser met with reporters to answer questions on the grant.

When asked about how exactly the grant provided for Advanced Welding will be used, Lesser stated, “The goal of the grant is to provide workforce training to improve and keep the workforce up to date on the latest technology the latest innovation in the field so that the business can stay competitive.”

With the new state budget released, there are questions on whether or not programs such as this one will continue to be fully funded. Lesser was confident his Workforce Training Grant Program would see continued budgeting, saying, “It's my hope that the budget will not only be fully funded, but increased.”

Lesser continued, “We're experiencing a bit of a tough budget season right now, but I believe that workforce training and expertise/skills training in particular for manufacturing is one of the most important things we can be spending money on, especially in Western Massachusetts.”

Advanced Welding is no stranger to receiving workforce grants. Kielb said, "We have been receiving them for the past eight to ten years now. Some of the first grants we received were ISO 9000, AS90100, and NADCAP [National Aerospace and Defense Contractors Accreditation Program]."

Kielb mentioned during the tour that 60-70 percent of the work done at Advanced Welding could not be conducted without these grants, as the company largely deals in aerospace defense.

Advanced Welding is one of the nearly 7,700 manufacturing companies in Massachusetts. These manufacturing companies generate around $43 billion dollars in yearly revenue.

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