Clone of Funding and Grants

Workforce Training Funds RFP Deadline Extended!

Job Growers Incorporated (Job Growers) is a public-private
partnership dedicated to addressing the current and future workforce needs of Marion, Polk and Yamhill counties; and to promote collaborative solutions to address the needs of workers and businesses. The Workforce Training Fund is one initiative to help businesses enhance competitiveness and build the skills of their current workforce. Job Growers Incorporated requests applications for the Workforce Training Funds. The fund is for workforce training projects to be used for job retention to reduce risk of layoffs or closures.

Application and attachments are below. For questions, please contact Kendall Lenhares at 503-798-4141 or klenhares@jobgrowers.com.

Applications must be hand delivered to Job Growers Incorporated at 626 High Street, NE, Suite 305, Salem, OR 97301, no later than 2:00 p.m. PST, December 23, 2011. Applications must provide hard copy original, on CD in WORD format, plus 5 copies of all documents in a sealed opaque envelope marked “2011 Workforce Training Application.” Applications received after 2:00 p.m. PST, December 23, 2011, will not be accepted.

Applications may be rejected for not complying with all prescribed procedures and requirements described below, or for good cause upon finding it is in the public interest to do so.

Please note on page two of the RFP, located under Eligibility and page three of the RFP, located under  Proposal Review – Process Specifications/Application Review and Contract Award Process - If you were funded two or more times within the last five years, you are not eligible to apply at this time.

Attachments:

RFP Request (PDF Format)

(all exhibits are in this one document)

Exhibit A - Application Form (Word)

Exhibit B – Budget (Word)

Exhibit C – Signed Assurances Page (Word)

Exhibit D – W-9 Tax Form (Word)

Employer Workforce Training Funds

Job Growers Incorporated has awarded nearly two million dollars in Employer Workforce Training Funds (EWTF) to more than 60 businesses in region 3 since 2004. These businesses have used the funds to train more than 4,000 employees.

The purpose of the EWTF is to create and retain living wage jobs, build a highly skilled workforce and enhance the global competitiveness of area businesses. The funds, from the federal Workforce Investment Act, are distributed every year to the seven workforce investment boards around the state to award to their area businesses for training employees.

Workforce Region 3 businesses receiving training awards have included: A.R.E. Manufacturing, Capitol Manor, Cascade Steel Rolling Mills, Columbia Helicopters, Forest River, Garmin AT, Givaudan, Hanard Machines, Kerr Concentrates, Kettle Foods, Medallion Cabinetry, Metal Innovations, Oregon Association of Nurseries, Salem Hospital, Silverton Hospital, Westview Products and Willamette Valley Hospice. Employees were trained in a variety of specialties, including Six Sigma, lean manufacturing, demand flow technology, supervisory training, hydraulics, robotics, quality systems training, team leadership training, cultural competency training, ISO training and certification, lean manufacturing, lean English essentials and lean healthcare.

Businesses who trained employees with 2010 EWTF grants from Job Growers are enthusiastic about the outcomes. Here are some examples:

• Betty Lou's Inc., a producer of fine snack foods, located in McMinnville, contracted with OMEP to provide "Advanced Lean-Business Retention and Growth." Their employees will be learning Value Stream Mapping, Total Productive Maintenance, and Practicum/Project duration. These trainings will provide Betty Lou's with the ability to use lean practices in their new products, maintain the existing equipment, as well as, learning how to maintain what has been learned for future products.
• Hanard Machine of West Salem has purchased Calypso Software training to train nine Hanard employees from different areas in the use of the FARO arm. The FARO arm is used to validate parts to make sure they are produced correctly to the engineering. The FARO arm enables Hanard to maintain competiveness in their field.
• Oregon Association of Nurseries (OAN), located in Wilsonville, represents area nurseries. OAN is working with OMEP to train nurseries in Lean. OMEP will train in lean strategic tool, so that their employees will have the foundation to apply lean practices in their daily work process. OAN plans on training up to 45 employees in both English and Spanish with hands-on improvement events in each of the companies involved.
• Silverton Hospital, located in Silverton, is implementing a new electronic health record (HER). Silverton Hospital will be training their employees with the requirements to comply with federal mandates and "meaningful use" guidelines for health care HERs. By utilizing this training, Silverton Hospital will be poised to meet critically declining reimbursement rates and meet the increased aging "Baby Boomer" generation.
• Westview Products Inc., located in Dallas, is receiving training in developing an architectual presentation to better meet the competitive environment they are facing in today's economic climate. Westview is looking to train their employees to maintain this presentation, as well as, increase their sales through competitive bidding.
• Willamette Valley Hospice, located in Salem, is providing three phases of training; 1) Needs assessment process, 2) Training process, and 3) The focus group project evaluation, revolving around Cultural Competent Care. Willamette Valley Hospice is looking to train in diversity and cultural competence, Latino culture, in addition to a needs assessment focus group to evaluate the program effectiveness.