Connecticut Woman Owned Business Forum Held at HFO Trident

A forum of women owned manufacturing companies, based in Connecticut, was recently held at the Haas Factory Outlet, a Division of Trident Machine Tools, LLC, (HFO Trident), in Windsor, CT. Major topics discussed during the one-day forum were several new incentives available through the State of Connecticut aimed at supporting local manufacturers.

Lorraine Palmer, Sales Engineer at HFO Trident, was responsible for bringing the group together, which included the following owners of Connecticut based job shops: Shirley Coffin of Rayginn Manufacturing in Bloomfield, CT; Lavinia Macala of Macala Tool, Inc. in Enfield, CT; and Cathy Granatowski of Absolute Machine Company in Bloomfield, CT. Attending the forum from the Connecticut Department of Labor, Office of Apprenticeship Training were Eleanor Lennon and Keri Lamontagne along with Maricel Pathammavong and XingXing Zhang.

During the forum, Keri Lamontagne and Eleanor Lennon shared exciting news about new incentives available to Connecticut based manufacturers.

The Manufacturing Innovation Fund (MIF) Apprenticeship Program provides financial assistance to Connecticut manufacturers that have newly registered apprentices on or after July 1, 2015. Manufacturers may also apply to become a Registered Apprentice Program Sponsor. The goals of the MIF Apprenticeship Program are to support manufacturing companies in their efforts to train registered apprentices in the appropriate skills to meet current and emerging market needs and occupational skills. Registered apprentices receive paid on-the-job training in their respective trades. The result is a skilled craft worker with industry-driven training and an employer with a competitive edge.

The MIF Apprenticeship Program offers a wage subsidy of $5.00 per hour or $6,000 for year one and $7,000 for year two as well as up to $2,000 to cover credentialing costs. This equals $15,000 reimbursement for each registered apprentice.

Other less tangible, but no less important, advantages to participation in registered apprenticeship include: a dependable source of skilled workers, a cost effective method of training, reduced turnover, improved labor relations and public recognition for participation in the program.

Keri Lamontagne went on to point out that this program is not limited to large corporations, and is equally available to small job shops with less than 20 employees. The program is also not limited to new employees, nor are there any penalties to the employer, should an employee back out of the program before completing his or her apprenticeship.

Apprenticeship programs in Connecticut are administered by the Department of Labor, Office of Apprenticeship Training. Skilled consultants provide technical assistance, monitoring and consulting services to qualified employers willing to take on the responsibilities and obligations of program sponsorship.

Also discussed during the forum was information about Connecticut's Manufacturing Innovation Fund Voucher Program. Xing Xing Zhang explained that the innovation fund is aimed at helping local manufacturers keep pace with state-of-the-art product development and manufacturing technology. Eligible companies can apply for vouchers, ranging from $5,000 to $50,000, for the purchase of specialized equipment or expertise that will help improve operations, such as CNC machine tools.

The Manufacturing Innovation Fund Voucher Program is funded by the state Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) and administered through the Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology, Inc (CCAT). Those companies that participate must pay half of the cost to qualify.

For more information contact:

Lorraine Palmer

Jeff Boulden

HFO - A Div. of Trident

651 Day Hill Rd.

Windsor, CT 06095

860-687-2466 / 888-622-4857

www.hfotrident.com

MIF Apprenticeship Program

www.ctapprenticeship.com