Tag Archives: Workforce Development Training Fund

$202,500 Grant Helps North Idaho College Provide Specialized Training to Certified Nursing Assistants in Northern Idaho

Rehabilitation nurse Anna Pjesky, left, teaches certified nursing assistants Myriah Wilson, certified nursing assistant, Valley Vista and William Redican, certified nursing assistant, Kootenai Health, how to therapeutically wrap an amputated limb.

Thanks to the collaborative efforts of Kootenai Health, Valley Vista and Northwest Hospital Alliance in northern Idaho, Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) can now receive additional training essential in meeting community needs. When the need to have CNAs with advanced training as mental health assistants, as restorative assistants and as patient care coordinators was identified, these health care providers partnered with North Idaho College (NIC) to create professional instruction in these three health care specialties.

North Idaho College was given a $202,500 industry sector grant from the Idaho Workforce Development Training Fund which included $50,625 in funds from private sector partners Kootenai Health, Valley Vista and Northwest Hospital Alliance. This grant, administered by the Idaho Department of Labor, has enabled NIC to develop and implement these three training programs as well as hire instructors for each course.

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Workforce Development Training Funds Spurs AceCo Expansion

Two AceCo employees troubleshoot a newly added accessory to a Lathe.

AceCo received a $25,000 Workforce Training Fund grant a year ago that continues to yield growth for the Boise company.

AceCo applied for the grant when the company found itself unable to hire new CNC machinists with the level of experience or GibbsCAM training required. The grant enabled the company to provide the needed training to employees currently in entry level positions, helping both the company and the employees.

Workforce Training Funds allowed AceCo to fly in a trainer so the employees could receive the specialized GibbsCAM training required. “These machinists were all entry level employees with some experience in the field but lacked the specific training we needed them to have,” said Jonathan Scobby, controller for AceCo. “These employees each received a certification of completion and experience which makes them more competitive because they can take that anywhere.”

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North Idaho College to Use $25,000 Micro-Grant for Aviation Industry Training

North Idaho College plans to use a $25,000 Idaho Department of Labor micro-grant to train 28 aviation assemblers and mechanic assistants beginning this summer.

Initially, training will be offered to high school seniors who want to work in the industry after graduation. The first of two courses will take place this July and the second in July 2017 at Sandpoint High School. Training will include a combination of online courses and classroom laboratory settings. Those who complete the assembler course in the summer following graduation will be eligible for employment.

Read more details in the full news release.

Burley’s Fabri-Kal Receives $159,000 Training Grant

Fabri-Kal Corp., of Burley will use a $159,000 Workforce Development Training Fund grant from the Idaho Department of Labor to train 53 new employees.

The 53 full-time positions will pay an average wage of $18.87 per hour plus employer-assisted medical benefits.

Read more details in the full news release.

— Idaho Department of Labor

Boise’s AceCo Receives $25,336 Training Grant

AceCo will use a $25,336 Workforce Development Training Fund grant from the Idaho Department of Labor to train 14 new employees at its Boise facilities.

The 14 full-time positions include machinists and technicians with hourly wages expected to range between $12 and $22.25 per hour plus employer-assisted medical benefits.

Read more about the grant in the full news release.

— Idaho Department of Labor

$25,000 Micro-Grant to Increase Number of Computer Programmers

BoiseCodeWorks will use a $25,000 Idaho Department of Labor Micro-Grant to provide intensive, short-term training to meet Idaho’s increasing need for workers with computer programming skills.

Nearly 140 people will be trained, with 85 estimated to enter related employment within 30 days of completion. An anticipated hourly starting wage of $25 will complement a wage gain of $10,000 to $14,000 annually for current workers.

The Micro-Grant program, approved by the Idaho Workforce Development Council and funded through the Idaho Workforce Development Training Fund, provides up to $25,000 per grant to local and rural communities for workforce development projects on a smaller scale than the traditional projects. Approved projects must increase employment and wages of a community’s workforce or assist in stemming the out-migration of youth and young adult workers from Idaho communities.

Applications are reviewed and approved by a panel of representatives from business, education, economic development and the Idaho Department of Labor.

To see how the Idaho Workforce Development Training Fund works, visit https://youtu.be/xT1ETGFuA8A.

Nightforce Optics: Using WorkForce Training Funds Help Employees Advance

In 1992, Nightforce Optics was established in Orofino with only two employees. As of 2013, the business passed its 100-employee mark, a success company officials attribute largely to participation in the Workforce Development Training Fund. Nightforce Optics produces a variety of high-end precision rifle and spotting scopes.

“The options for Nightforce without the Workforce Development Training Fund would have meant fewer monies available to fund capital expenses, which in turn would have curbed our growth,” said Debbi Duffy, human resource manager with Nightforce Optics. “It would have also meant less money to support hiring and the ability to provide annual cost of living increases for the existing workforce.”

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