MCCC Encourages Local Commercial Enterprises to Apply for State Workforce Training Funds

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Among the many uses of a WEDnetPA, recommended by MCCC, is workplace training.

The Workforce Development Division of Montgomery County Community College (MCCC) encourages eligible local companies to apply for Workforce and Economic Development Network of Pennsylvania (WEDnetPA) funding for the fiscal year that began July 1, 2022.

WEDnetPA is a state training reimbursement grant program through which eligible companies can receive state grants to help pay for workforce training.

As a WEDnetPA partner, MCCC administers and distributes funding to Montgomery County companies to help them defray the costs of workforce training. MCCC’s Workforce Development Division works with companies to develop customized training that is specifically designed to meet their needs.

MCCC Customized Training

Last year, MCCC assisted more than 20 area companies in training employees, which helped them to invest in growth and increase their overall competitive advantage.

Examples of MCCC’s customized training include:

  • Vision alignment with senior executives to facilitate communication of a shared vision across all company levels, which helped to improve the employee retention rate for a clinical supply organization
  • Project management skills for banking staff
  • Communication skills for functional area leaders
  • Dominance, influence, Steadiness and Conscientiousness (DiSC) assessments and leadership for a pharmaceutical supply-chain company that improved interdepartmental communications
  • Lean training that enabled an entire company to implement process improvements and reduce wasted steps within its office environment
  • Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) 10, Electrical Safety, and OSHA 30 training for a manufacturing company in the clinical supply chain of pharmaceuticals
  • Leadership training for more than 20 leaders of a well-known, retail establishment in Montgomery County that resulted in process improvements
  • Viscosity, percentages, and math training for the staff of a manufacturing company that creates films used in various applications
  • Utilization of PowerPoint, Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, and other tools by midsized organizations that created a more efficient document sharing process and created standard operating procedures

“This list is only a sample of what MCCC’s Workforce Training Division can do to help companies with their training needs,” said Bernadette DeBias, MCCC’s Director of Workforce Development, who manages WEDnetPA for MCCC.

“We can provide customized training in-person or virtually for companies via our qualified trainers, who are not only excellent teachers and subject-matter experts, but who also work in the industry and are proficient in identifying company needs and creating training solutions,” she explained.

Currently, MCCC has approximately $69,000 of remaining WEDnetPA funds for 2022–2023. Eligible industries include manufacturing, healthcare (certain restrictions apply), information technology, and any company with a commercial/industrial client base. Retail companies are not eligible.

An Important Investment

“In today’s environment, where it is difficult to find and retain qualified talent, it is more important than ever to invest in training your workforce,” said DeBias. “Through the WEDnetPA grant, we can help our Montgomery County companies offset the cost of that training.”

To apply for WEDnetPA funding grants, companies should begin to submit applications now for the new fiscal year, which is underway. Companies can submit training plans for the entire fiscal year, from July 1, 2022, through June 30, 2023, said DeBias.

Specific questions about WEDnetPA and its application process, can be emailed to DeBias or Katina Faulk.

About Montgomery County Community College

For more than a half century, Montgomery County Community College has grown with the community to meet the evolving educational needs of Montgomery County. The college’s comprehensive curriculum includes more than 100 associate degree and certificate programs, as well as customized workforce training and certifications. Students enjoy the flexibility of learning at the college’s thriving campuses in Blue Bell and Pottstown, at the Culinary Arts Institute in Lansdale and online.

As an Achieving the Dream Leader College of Distinction, the institution is positioned at the vanguard of national efforts to remove barriers to access, improve learning outcomes, and increase completion for all students. The college also is recognized regionally and nationally for its sustainability leadership, work with military veterans, community service and service-learning opportunities, and use of classroom technology. For the six years, MCCC has been named one of the Most Promising Places to Work in Community Colleges in the nation by the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development for its commitment to diversity through inclusive learning and work environments, student and staff recruitment and retention practices, and meaningful community service and engagement opportunities. More information is online.

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