Vantage hosts manufacturing consortium

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

A number of area development officials and educators, as well as city and county government representatives and representatives from 17 area businesses were on hand Thursday morning for the second Manufacturers Consortium conducted by Vantage Career Center and Northwest State Community College.

The program, held in Vantage’s Community Room, began with a presentation on Northwest State’s Hybrid Training Program, which provides customized training for area businesses. Advantages of the program include 24/7 access from any Internet connection, participants can take the program at their own pace, and companies don’t lose production time. Participants must receive a grade of 80 percent or higher to proceed to the next level of the program, while they must also prove proficiency in a hands-on lab.

Hybrid Training courses are offered in Industrial Electricity, Motor and Motor Controls, Principals of Machining, Pipe Fitting/Benchwork, PLC/Robotics, and Fluid Power/Machine Repair.

The primary guest speaker for Thursday’s program was Van Wert Area Economic Development Corporation Executive Director Stacy Adam, who talked about the need for information from businesses on their labor force and other needs.

“At the end of the day, when you walk out of here, we need to have information to help us, help you,” Adam told the businesses at the consortium.

Adam talked about the training — and retraining — needs of area businesses, noting that, while the Hybrid Training Program provides value, businesses often have a problem meeting the minimum class-size requirement of eight students.

That can be overcome, she noted, by having two or more businesses partner to come up with the minimum number of students needed for a specific class.

She then distributed surveys to business representatives asking them to provide information on workforce needs

“This is a great way to understand what the challenges are, and to bridge that gap between the resources and tools that are available to fill these positions,” Adam noted, adding that she was also asking businesses to provide information on the survey for the jobs they have the hardest time filling.

Paulding County Economic Development Director Jerry Zielke also spoke on what his office can do for Paulding County businesses, while Cindy Leis and Doug Arthur from the Allen County Economic Development Group also gave a presentation on the assistance their organization can give to area businesses, including a job fair held annually.