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2009-06-30

CY 2008 Workforce Development Program Progress Report

CY 2008 Workforce Development Program Progress Report

Training
• Completed training programs for 407 students and incumbent workers worth $483,871.37
• Reimbursed industries, community colleges, adult skill center, universities $363,101.73
• Accumulated grant matching resources of $122,186.13
• Conducted manufacturing lectures for Washington County Schools Junior Achievement Program
• Conducted manufacturing lectures for Washington County Skill Center’s Summer Teen Camp for disadvantaged youth
• Donated robotic welding system to Washington County Skill Center ($93,419.84)
• Sourced course materials for Washington County Schools Career Pathways Program
Program and Planning Activities
• Completed feasibility study for a new regional workforce training center ($50,000.00)
• Served on Governor’s Manufacturing Advisory Council at the request of the Secretary of Commerce and Trade
• Chaired committee and completed study on improving manufacturing’s image in Virginia for Governor’s Manufacturing Advisory Council
• Helped develop statewide Dream It Do It® program in conjunction with Virginia Council on Advanced Technology Skills (VCATS)
• Testified before Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) on the cost of substance abuse to industry
Southwest Virginia Alliance for Manufacturing
• Obtained tax-exempt status for the workforce alliance
• Documented at least 148 new manufacturing jobs created as a result of local training programs
• Signed on eight dues-paying members of alliance ($31,000.00) to augment county contributions
• Active member of Dream It Do It Executive Directors Council

2009-06-30

SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA DREAM IT DO IT PROGRAM FY2010 PROGRAM PLANS

SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA DREAM IT DO IT PROGRAM
FY2010 PROGRAM PLANS

Activities to engage employers

• Actively recruit new members
• Conduct programs within the public schools to promote careers in manufacturing and support Career Pathways program development
• Sponsor career days tours, encourage internships, and create a “speakers bureau” to promote manufacturing careers and training programs
• Create a monthly e-newsletter for distribution to manufacturers, educators, and federal, state, county, and municipal leaders to announce new happenings, manufacturing and training updates, and advance southwest Virginia’s manufacturing leadership role
• Conduct seminars and workshops in partnership with chambers and economic development organizations to discuss workforce issues and challenges
• Continue SVAM and Dream It Do It websites

Activities to engage educators and other partners

• Obtain commitment from schools to participate in plant tours and internship programs, and to facilitate manufacturers’ visits to the schools
• Develop a Career Awareness program with Public Broadcasting for use in or downloading to public schools
• Encourage participation in Career Pathways to connect training outcomes with employer needs to develop skills for emerging and incumbent workers
• Continue effort to create manufacturing specialists in the Career Coaches program
• Reinforce manufacturing careers message through continued participation in Junior Achievement and similar programs
• Repair and update Dream It Do It interactive kiosks in area schools

Strengthening Associations

• Continue serving on the Governor’s Manufacturing Advisory Council
• Contribute to the Virginia Dream It Do It Leadership Council
• Maintain membership in the Dream It Do It Executive Directors Council
• Continue reporting activities to Smyth and Washington counties

2009-04-16

Manufacturing Skills Development Helped by Training Reimbursements

SVAM Reaches Half a Million Milestone in Delivery
of Training Reimbursements Across Region

ABINGDON, Va. – The Southwest Virginia Alliance for Manufacturing Inc. (SVAM) recently added Bristol Compressors International Inc. to its membership roster and achieved another statistical milestone in its effort to train manufacturing employees across the region.

By teaching “manufacturing process improvement” to 194 Bristol Compressors employees, SVAM succeeded in bringing its total number of workers trained to 1,255. This brought the organization’s total amount of monetary training reimbursements awarded to participating companies up to $500,000.

“This is truly an exciting time for our organization,” states SVAM CEO Bruce Kravitz. “We know that companies across Southwest Virginia, including our newest member, Bristol Compressors International, are recognizing that investments in workforce skills are one of the best strategies to remain competitive in the coming decade.”

With the formal presentation of a $45,000 training reimbursement check to Bristol Compressors CEO John Wadsworth, SVAM has also launched its first official membership drive, inviting other companies across Southwest Virginia to take advantage of SVAM services, which include customized training development and funding assistance.

Incorporated as a non-profit educational organization in 2007, SVAM works with industries to meet growing manufacturing workforce needs in the region and educates the general public about the cleaner, more worker-friendly environment now present in modern, advanced technology manufacturing facilities.

Started in 2006 with seed money provided by Smyth and Washington counties, SVAM was known originally as the Smyth-Washington Regional Workforce Consortium and gained impetus when it acquired a $900,000 Virginia Works grant to participate in the Dream It. Do It.® campaign, a national program created by the National Association of Manufacturers’ Manufacturing Institute.

Other funding sources for SVAM services have included the Commonwealth of Virginia, Smyth and Washington counties, the Virginia Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission and manufacturing companies located in the two counties. Industry participants have included General Dynamics, Merillat, Scholle, Kennametal, Marion Mold & Tool, Engineered Products of Virginia, Woodgrain Millwork, AGC Flat Glass, Columbus McKinnon, General Engineering, HAPCO/American Flagpole, Paramount Manufacturing, SteelFab Tanks, Universal Fiber Systems and Utility Trailer.

SVAM far outpaced its own original goal for number of job applicants or incumbent workers expected to be trained in its
first two years, says the organization’s Board of Directors President Jack Washburn, Plant Manager of Utility Trailer Manufacturing Co.

“We owe much of that success to the cooperative spirit of the nearly 90 manufacturing facilities in the two counties, as well as the educational entities that have helped drive our efforts to boost Southwest Virginia’s workforce competitiveness,” Washburn says.

SVAM has also achieved several other milestones, including:
• Raising nearly $3 million in grant funds for reaching program goals;
• Achieving a 10:1 return on Smyth and Washington County investments made in SVAM;
• Appointment of SVAM’s CEO to the (Virginia) Governor’s Manufacturing Advisory Council, where he chairs the Manufacturing Image Committee.

SVAM was also one of the first workforce development organizations in the country to embrace the Dream It. Do It. campaign and now serves as role model and facilitator for the statewide version – Dream It. Do It. Virginia, launched in late 2007. More information about SVAM is available at the web site www.swvam.org.

“The statewide program includes the best of what we’ve developed here in Southwest Virginia for training, but it is also providing a program for manufacturing technician certification that is portable and can be carried from job to job across the state,” Kravitz says. “That hasn’t existed before.”

Dream It. Do It. Virginia is co-sponsored by the Virginia Council on Advanced Technology Skills, the Virginia Manufacturers Association and the Virginia Biotechnology Association, in partnership with the National Association of Manufacturers’ Manufacturing Institute. Funding for the statewide program was sourced in part from the U.S. Department of Labor and the Virginia Tobacco Commission.

About the Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission
The Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission is a 31-member body created by the 1999 General Assembly to promote economic growth and development in tobacco-dependent communities, using proceeds of the national tobacco settlement. To date, the Commission has awarded 1,071 grants totaling more than $525.3 million across the tobacco region of the Commonwealth, and has made available nearly $268 million in indemnification payments to tobacco growers and quota holders. For information on the Commission’s history, mission, funding programs and recent grant awards, visit our website at www.tic.virginia.gov or call toll free 877-807-1086.

About Dream It. Do It. ®
Dream It. Do It. is part of a Manufacturing Institute campaign that addresses current skilled workforce shortages nationwide through its careers awareness program. A grassroots economic development initiative, Dream It. Do It. fosters growth and innovation by building entrepreneurial and regional alliances, as well as providing youth-oriented awareness and education initiatives designed to captivate and prepare the next generation of skilled American manufacturing talent.

SVAM has also conducted a feasibility study on building a new facility to house successful training programs currently offered by the local adult skills center and to provide space for new programs. This study was funded through grants from the Appalachian Regional Commission and Smyth and Washington counties.
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For more information, contact
Bruce Kravitz, CEO, Southwest Virginia Alliance for Manufacturing,
at 276-492-2100.
www.swvam.org

2009-02-17

Bristol Compressors - Newest Member of SVAM

SVAM Welcomes Bristol Compressors as Newest Member, Trains 194 Employees in Process Improvement

ABINGDON, Va. – Bristol Compressors International Inc. has become the newest manufacturing member of the Southwest Virginia Alliance for Manufacturing Inc. (SVAM) and was recently awarded a check for more than $45,000 – reimbursement for workforce training completed by 194 of its employees.

The check, presented by SVAM CEO Bruce Kravitz to Bristol Compressors CEO John Wadsworth, was training expense reimbursement provided by the Virginia Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission. Bristol Compressors also provided over $66,000 to cover the training costs.

The 194 Bristol Compressors employees were trained in manufacturing process improvement, which involves implementation of “lean manufacturing principles” for building efficiency and teamwork in existing company workforces.

“If we are going to keep manufacturing as a viable industry in the United States, we must invest in our most important asset, our people,” says Wadsworth. “The training grant from SVAM was used to train our employees in the principles of lean manufacturing, which will enable us to remain competitive in a global economy. We are thankful for organizations like SVAM that focus on the needs of local manufacturing.”

The Bristol Compressors ceremony also officially kicked off SVAM’s 2009 membership drive to attract other companies to join and benefit from the organization’s workforce development and networking opportunities. Incorporated in 2007, SVAM works with industries to meet growing manufacturing workforce needs in the region and educates the general public about the cleaner, more worker-friendly environment now present in modern manufacturing facilities.

To date, SVAM has provided occupational skills training to 1255 workers in Southwest Virginia and distributed more than $527,000 in training reimbursements to participating industries.

Started in 2006 with seed money provided by Smyth and Washington counties, SVAM was originally known as the Smyth-Washington Regional Workforce Consortium and gained impetus when it acquired a $900,000 Virginia Works grant to run a Dream It. Do It.® campaign, a national initiative created by the National Association of Manufacturers’ Manufacturing Institute.

Other SVAM funding sources have included the Commonwealth of Virginia, Smyth and Washington counties, the Virginia Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission and manufacturing companies in the two counties. Industry participants have included General Dynamics, Merillat, Scholle, Kennametal, Marion Mold & Tool, Engineered Products of Virginia, Woodgrain Millwork, AGC Flat Glass, Columbus McKinnon, General Engineering, HAPCO/American Flagpole, Paramount Manufacturing, SteelFab Tanks, Universal Fiber Systems and Utility Trailer.

SVAM was one of the first workforce development organizations in the country to embrace the Dream It. Do It. campaign and now serves as role model and facilitator for Dream It. Do It. Virginia, which was launched in late 2007.

The Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission is a 31-member body created by the 1999 General Assembly to promote economic growth and development in tobacco-dependent communities, using proceeds of the national tobacco settlement. To date, the Commission has awarded 1,071 grants totaling more than $525.3 million across the tobacco region of the Commonwealth, and has made available nearly $268 million in indemnification payments to tobacco growers and quota holders. For information on the Commission’s history, mission, funding programs and recent grant awards, visit our website at www.tic.virginia.gov or call toll free 877-807-1086.

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For more information, contact
Bruce Kravitz, CEO, Southwest Virginia Alliance for Manufacturing,
at 276-492-2100.

2008-10-20

SteelFab Appreciates Dream It Do It

To The Washington County Board of Supervisors:

Steel Fab is one of the largest manufacturers of ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers) pressure vessels in North America. As a result of our success our parent company Samuel Manu-Tech formed a division called the Steel Pressure Vessel Group and acquired Silvan Industries and Northland Stainless both pressure vessel manufacturers in Wisconsin. We are very proud of the growth and success that we have achieved in the last twenty years here in Abingdon.

My purpose in writing this letter is to thank those of you involved in leading southwest Virginia and who believe in, and thus support, our industry. I am particularly grateful for the foresight you showed in starting a Dream It Do It program. This program has accomplished at least two things for us at Steel Fab. Firstly, it has improved our ability to communicate with the education service providers, and secondly, it has helped us in these challenging economic times with training cost reimbursements that have been vital to our growth.

As you are no doubt aware, manufacturing has had a rough time in the recent past, both in terms of the economy in general, and workforce availability. The availability of skilled workers is crucial to manufacturing expansion. Unfortunately the perception is that good career opportunities are not to be found in manufacturing and if this perception is allowed to continue there won’t be opportunities in southwest Virginia as companies will choose to locate where skilled workers can be found.

Our growth is a result of our being able to convince corporate management that our Abingdon plant was the right location, among their choices, to expand operations. As a result of this, we expanded into a leased building nearby and in the last year doubled the number of employees. Our total employment is now approaching 300 and we are working 24-7. While some of our recently hired welders were trained by the Washington County Skill Center we were forced to train an additional 70 people as welders. The Skill Center has a waiting list and trained all they could but our needs were greater. The graduates of the Skill Center program are able to go right to work with very little additional training. This was made possible by the Skill Center’s willingness to modify their program to include a welding process that we typically use but not previously taught. Their willingness to accommodate our needs resulted in a successful alliance, among us, the Skill Center and the Lincoln Electric Co who manufactures welding equipment, including the Skill Center’s newly acquired welding robot. This was a definite win-win situation.

I do not mention our appreciation lightly. This new collaborative environment that we have helped develop has strengthened our resolve to help the entire manufacturing community. That is why I serve on the Board of Directors of the Southwest Virginia Alliance for Manufacturing, an organization that would not exist without your assistance and the commitment of area manufacturers. When I say thank you I speak not only for myself and Steel Fab but for all of the other manufacturers who are, as you are, deeply committed to the growth of southwest Virginia. I now know what the term “public/private” partnership truly means and what it can accomplish as we carry it forward in the coming years.

Gratefully yours,
Dawson W. Armitage
Operations Manager

2008-08-01

SVAM CEO and Virginia Highlands Small Business Incubator Executive Director discuss career opportunities with Washington County High School Students.

As part of the Dream It Do It Manufacturing Careers Project, Mr. Bruce Kravitz, SVAM CEO is helping with the Washington County Junior Achievement Success Skills program.

“Manufacturing remains the backbone of our economy and helping school age youth understand the manufacturing community will help assure they get the right training and ultimately the best careers, “ said Mr. Kravitz

2008-01-14

Southwest Virginia Alliance for Manufacturing Appoints Kravitz as CEO

ABINGDON, Va. – The Southwest Virginia Alliance for Manufacturing, a Dream It. Do It. manufacturing careers awareness program partner, has promoted Bruce L. Kravitz to chief executive officer.

Kravitz has served as director of workforce development for the Alliance since the inception of the Dream It. Do It. program in April 2006. His promotion coincides with the recent statewide launch of Dream It. Do It. Virginia as the Alliance – originally created to serve Smyth and Washington counties – expands into a broader area in the southwestern part of the Commonwealth.

Kravitz brings to the position a career-long commitment to effective communications and extensive experience with various leaders in the industrial manufacturing community. Prior to joining the Alliance, he served as a marketing and engineering communications consultant in the turbo-machinery industry for 27 years and as a broadcast journalist in New York and Michigan for seven years.

“Working with the Dream It. Do It. program has been both challenging and rewarding,” Kravitz says. “I am excited about the progress we’ve made in helping prepare the workforce for rewarding careers in advanced manufacturing. I look forward to continuing to represent the Alliance and to match motivated applicants with manufacturing employers in all of Southwest Virginia.”

Kravitz attended the State University of New York at Buffalo, as well as the Rochester (NY) Institute of Technology and Career Academy of Broadcasting. His public service includes fundraising for St. Jude’s Hospital through ALSAC (Aiding Leukemia-Stricken American Children) and developing youth sports facilities through a city council committee he created in California. He and his wife, Sandi, live in Washington County, Va., and have two grown sons.

About Dream It. Do It.
Dream It. Do It. is part of a National Association of Manufacturers/Manufacturing Institute campaign that addresses current workforce shortages nationwide through its careers awareness program. A grassroots economic development initiative, Dream It. Do It. fosters growth, innovation and jobs by building entrepreneurial and regional alliances, as well as providing youth-oriented awareness and education initiatives designed to captivate and prepare the next generation of skilled American manufacturing talent.

Since it began, the Dream It. Do It. program has, through a Virginia Works grant, funded the training or testing of nearly 1,400 people in manufacturing-related skills in Smyth and Washington counties. Participating educational partners in Smyth and Washington counties include Virginia Highlands Community College and the Center for Business and Industry, Wytheville Community College, the Manufacturing Technology Center, the Washington County Skill Center, and the public school systems in Smyth and Washington counties, including the Smyth Career and Technology Center and William N. Neff Center for Science and Technology.

The Virginia Council on Advanced Technology Skills (VCATS), an alliance of the Virginia Manufacturers Association (VMA), and the Virginia Biotechnology Association have also joined Dream It. Do It. in addressing the shortage of qualified manufacturing employees throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia.

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2008-01-02

Dream It. Do It. Careers Campaign Providing Training for Manufacturing

ABINGDON, Va. – For more than a year, employers, educators and county economic development professionals in Southwest Virginia have partnered to address the challenge of finding qualified technicians to fill hundreds of available manufacturing positions in the region. In fact, the nation’s first rural Dream It. Do It. campaign has taken significant steps to reverse this shortage trend.

The successes of the local program have now led to a recent statewide launch of Dream It. Do It. Virginia by the Virginia Council on Advanced Technology Skills (VCATS). This launch comes less than two years after Smyth and Washington counties initiated the first rural Dream It. Do It. campaign. Since that time, the program has trained more than 1,273 individuals in manufacturing occupational skills.

The local educational community is working with Dream It. Do It. to provide testing. Wytheville Community College in Wytheville, Va., and Virginia Highlands Community College in Abingdon, Va., have tested 386 students in Reading for Information and Measurements and Mathematics. The tests, called Career Readiness Certificates, measure skills in reading for information, locating information and mathematics.

The goals of the Dream It. Do It. campaign are to reverse the growing shortage of skilled manufacturing workers through advanced education and training, increase awareness of advanced technology careers and attract people to those industries. In keeping with those objectives, the Southwest Virginia Alliance for Manufacturing – in partnership with the academic community – sponsors career fairs and classes to train the workforce for lucrative manufacturing positions.

In addition to the occupational skills training and testing, 21 scholarships of $1,000 each were granted to Smyth and Washington County high school graduates of the Career in Technical Education program who were committed to continuing manufacturing-oriented studies at community colleges or four-year colleges.

“This area has grown as a manufacturing center over the past few years,” says Bruce Kravitz, chief executive officer of the Southwest Virginia Alliance for Manufacturing. “There are still hundreds of good jobs available, and we can provide the education and training necessary for the local workforce to meet employment requirements.”

The Virginia Manufacturers Association (VMA) estimates that 46,870 skilled trade jobs will be available in the state over the next three years, nearly half of which will be manufacturing technician positions. According to the National Association of Manufacturers, two major factors that attract workers to manufacturing are higher pay and benefits and opportunities for advanced education and training. The Dream It. Do It. program has increased applications to local community colleges, and manufacturers have seen a larger pool of skilled applicants as workers take advantage of training opportunities.

In addition to Virginia, other states across the nation are finding success with the Dream It. Do It. program, including Arizona, Illinois, Indiana, Nebraska, Ohio, Texas and Washington. When the Dream It. Do It. Virginia campaign was officially announced in Williamsburg in October, John Engler, president and CEO of the National Association of Manufacturers, said Virginia is a role model for states seeking to improve their global competitiveness by creating a skilled workforce.

About Dream It. Do It.
Dream It. Do It. is part of a National Association of Manufacturers/Manufacturing Institute campaign that addresses current workforce shortages nationwide through its careers awareness program. VCATS, an alliance of the VMA, and the Virginia Biotechnology Association have also joined Dream It. Do It. in addressing the shortage of qualified manufacturing employees.

Participating educational partners in Smyth and Washington counties include Virginia Highlands Community College and the Center for Business and Industry, Wytheville Community College, the Manufacturing Technology Center, the Washington County Skill Center, and the public school systems in Smyth and Washington counties, including the Smyth Career and Technology Center and William N. Neff Center for Science and Technology.

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2007-10-02

Career Fairs Address Needs of Smyth, Washington Manufacturing Companies

ABINGDON, Va. – Two career fairs on Thursday, Oct. 11, will afford Southwest Virginia’s students, unemployed and laid-off workers the opportunity to meet face-to-face with prospective employers seeking to fill hundreds of manufacturing jobs in Smyth and Washington counties.

The events, scheduled from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., will be held at the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center in Abingdon, Va., and at the Blue Ridge Job Corps Center gymnasium in Marion, Va. Representatives from more than 20 manufacturing companies in Smyth and Washington counties will be on hand to meet with applicants to discuss available positions in general production, welding, CNC machining, electromechanical maintenance, computer applications and other areas.

The career fairs are part of the Southwest Virginia Alliance for Manufacturing’s “Dream It. Do It.” manufacturing careers awareness campaign that addresses workforce shortages. The goal of the campaign is to match employers that have immediate job openings with people who may have been laid off or are seeking employment, as well as to provide training for occupational skills required by the manufacturers.

“Career fairs are a win-win situation for everyone,” says Bruce Kravitz, director of workforce development, Southwest Virginia Alliance for Manufacturing. “Manufacturers are seeking to fill a variety of positions that pay excellent wages; we know that we have a willing labor force available. We encourage job seekers to bring their resumes and be prepared for direct discussions with local manufacturers. It’s a great opportunity for students to learn about the job market.”

Companies participating in the fairs include AFG Glass, American Commercial, Appalachian Cast Products, Bristol Compressors, Columbus McKinnon, Coffman Stairs, General Engineering Company, Metal Castings, Oak Hall Cap & Gown, Reline America, Inc., Royal Mouldings, SteelFab, Strongwell, TRW Automotive, Universal Fibers, Utility Trailer Manufacturing, Woodgrain Millwork and many more.

Nearly 90 manufacturing companies in Smyth and Washington employ 43 percent of the workforce in Smyth County and 25 percent in Washington County.

According to John Engler, president and CEO of the National Association of Manufacturers, manufacturing directly employs more than 14 million Americans and accounted for $1.6 trillion in output last year. Two-thirds of all private sector research and development spending comes from the manufacturing sector.

The Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center is located at One Partnership Circle in Abingdon off Interstate 81 at Exit 14. The Blue Ridge Job Corps Center gymnasium is located on North Street in Marion.

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2007-06-26

Local “Dream It. Do It.” Program Receives $25,000 from Appalachian Regional Commission

MARION, Va. – The Southwest Virginia Alliance for Manufacturing has received a $25,000 grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission to support its “Dream It. Do It.” campaign, an initiative designed to create a skilled workforce for the 88 manufacturing companies in Smyth and Washington counties.

“The support of the Appalachian Regional Commission will advance the efforts of ‘Dream It. Do It.’ and provide additional training opportunities,” says Bruce Kravitz, the Alliance’s director of workforce development. “Our goal is to fill the hundreds of manufacturing jobs that exist in these two counties with the best qualified workers possible.”

The ARC grant comes on the heels of a $100,000 award received by the Alliance in April 2007 from the Virginia Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission. Both awards supplement the $900,000 in seed money that the Alliance acquired last year from the VIRGINIA WORKS program to initiate “Dream It. Do It.”

According to Kravitz, manufacturing companies in Smyth and Washington counties that participate and provide specific types of skills training to employees receive funding reimbursements. To date, more than 200 training opportunities have been provided for employed and unemployed workers in the two counties.

“Dream It. Do It.” is part of a National Association of Manufacturers/Manufacturing Institute campaign that addresses current workforce shortages nationwide through its careers awareness program. Participating educational partners in Smyth and Washington counties include Virginia Highlands Community College and the Center for Business and Industry, Wytheville Community College, the Washington County Skill Center, and the public school systems in Smyth and Washington counties, including the Smyth Career and Technology Center and William N. Neff Center for Science and Technology.
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