4. Affirmative action.-Meet your minority hiring goals. This is an excellent source of qualified applicants who want to work. 5. Targeted job tax credit.-Become eligible (in most cases) for the new federal tax credit. This credit provides an employer with up to $6,000 credit for hiring eligible employees (see Fact Sheet). 6. Reduce public subsidics.-Meaningful employment is the major ingredient to solving our community social problems. Participation in the HEP program can directly affect the quality of life within our community. Hon. AUGUSTUS F. HAWKINS, Springfield, Mass., March 21, 1980. Chairman, House Subcommittee on Employment Opportunities, DEAR REPRESENTATIVE HAWKINS: Titeflex Corporation, A Bundy Company, is faced with a major barrier to its planned expansion in the Greater Springfield area. That barrier to expansion exists due to a serious lack of skilled labor. Our production capacity constraints have been diminished somewhat by capital investment machinery. However, these machines sit idle for one or two shifts due to a lack of skilled machinists to operate them. Titeflex Corporation is a very active participant in the Private Industry Council and recognizes its corporate responsibility to address the serious need for the expanded training and skills upgrading of our existing workforce. Such a program at the Hampden District Regional Skills Center will reduce our training time and costs by approximately 30%. We are ready and willing to commit dollars and machinery to such a program. Sincerely, ROBERT F. SULLIVAN, Manager, Industrial Relations. WINONA VAN NORMAN MACHINE CO., Hon. AUGUSTUS F. HAWKINS, Chairman, House Subcommittee on Employment Opportunities, DEAR REPRESENTATIVE HAWKINS: In my role, both as an employer and a Director of the Private Industry Council of Hampden County, Inc., I fully recog nize the necessity for public and private cooperation in the development of effective manpower programs. A serious shortage of skilled machinists in the Greater Springfield area is restricting the growth of industry, directly influencing company decisions on current and future expansion plans. Winona Van Norman, as well as many other companies in the area, is currently entering a very crucial stage in its planning and development. I strongly urge your support for the development of skills training and skills upgrading programs to meet current and future manpower needs. Winona Van Norman has demonstrated its commitment to this goal, and will continue to do so. However, government and business must work cooperatively if we are to succeed. Sincerely, WILLIAM F. WALTHOUSE, Vice President and General Manager. KIDDER-STACY Co.. Hon. AUGUSTUS F. HAWKINS, Agawan, Mass., March 21, 1980. Chairman, House Subcommittee on Employment Opportunities, DEAR REPRESENTATIVE HAWKINS: As the Chairman of the Machining Task Force, a subcommittee of the Private Industry Council of Hampden County, Inc., I am actively involved in pursuing a viable solution to the acute manpower shortage that currently exists in the machining trades. A recent survey indicates that approximately 3,000 area openings will go unfilled during the next year due to the lack of a skilled labor force. This gap between the supply and demand of skilled labor is increasing and must be checked immediately. Skills upgrading is a subject that has been seriously considered by the machining industry and one that offers unique opportunities to both employers and employees. Through a formal training program aimed at upgrading the skills of entry level employees, a company will be able to upgrade its workforce while substantially reducing its training time and costs. Moreover, with this upward mobility, additional entry level positions will be created for minority and nonskilled trainees, who will, in turn, benefit from this process. Speaking for the Kidder-Stacy Company and for the Machining Task Force, I can promise our commitment to solving a common problem. Sincerely, Hon. AUGUSTUS F. HAWKINS, ARTHUR G. CHEVALIER, Jr., Chairman, Machining Task Force. AMERICAN BOSCH DIESEL PRODUCTS, Chairman, House Subcommittee on Employment Opportunities, DEAR REPRESENTATIVE HAWKINS: The American Bosch Diesel Products Division of AMBAC Industries, a subsidiary of United Technologies, has projected significant manpower demands over the next five years. Due to the high number of retirees and expanding production, our Division has experienced great difficulty in hiring skilled machinists and tool and die makers. This manpower shortage severely hampers our Company's ability to expand. It is currently a problem, the magnitude of which drastically affects our current production capabilities. It is for this reason that we fully support the Private Industry Council in its efforts to increase the training capacities of area facilities, thus balancing supply and demand. The immediate need for expanded skills training and the upgrading of existing manpower skills cannot be underestimated. We strongly urge your assistance in the securing of funding necessary for companies such as ours to meet its manpower needs. The private and public sector must pool its resources to insure that the future of industry remains secure. Very truly yours, GEORGE J. MCBRIAN, Vice President and General Manager. EXHIBIT 5 PROPOSAL STATE FUNDING FOR MANPOWER TRAINING PROGRAMS IN DEMAND OCCUPATIONS Submitted By Private Industry Council of Hampden County, Inc. July 20, 1979 OVERVIEW STATE FUNDING FOR MANPOWER TRAINING PROGRAMS IN DEMAND OCCUPATIONS EXHIBIT 5 THE PROBLEM Critical manpower shortages have been identified within Hampden County that are seriously effecting economic and industrial growth. During the next twelve months, an excess of twelve hundred (1200) openings will go unfilled in the machining, tool and die, and electronic related fields. The gap between supply of skilled labor and demand is ever increasing, it must be checked immediately. A SOLUTION The Private Industry Council proposes the development of a comprehensive manpower training program to meet the industrial demands through 1980. Key elements of this proposal are: Increasing the training capacity of the ongoing Hampden District Extending Skills Center eligibility to non-CETA participants, this will access an untapped labor supply and provide a mechanism for employee skill upgrading. (State Funding) Expanding long-term training services supported by private THE COST The subsidy necessary from the State to increase training capacity in Hampden County to meet the projected demands is $2,710,327. This funding would be utilized to increase the total Skills Center's annual enrollment in the machine trades, tool and die, electronic bench assembly, and test technician programs from 368 to 1,674 students at a cost per student of $1,895 ($786 per student without stipend). PRIVATE INDUSTRY COUNCIL OF HAMPDEN COUNTY, INC. PROPOSAL STATE FUNDING FOR MANPOWER TRAINING PROGRAMS IN DEMAND OCCUPATIONS EXHIBIT 5 This proposal offers a method to decrease a manpower shortage in specific occupations in Hampden County. It is based on two key elements that are essential to solving existing manpower problems: This model takes advantage of existing federally funded training programs within the county, such as the Hampden District Regional Skills Center, and offers both short and long range solutions. The text is divided into three sections and a summary. Section I summarizes specific manpower demands in Hampden County, information that serves as the foundation for this proposal. Section II outlines a method to meet these manpower demands by utilizing state funding to complement federal and private funding. Section III describes the significant and active role of the private sector. I. MANPOWER DEMAND Various manpower projections within Hampden County have been developed using historical data to identify areas of imbalance in manpower supply and demand. However, hard data on actual demand and supply has not been available to fully substantiate the severity of existing manpower shortages. The Private Industry Council of Hampden County, Inc., initiated a survey of industries employing people in the critical skill areas, i.e., tool and die, machinists, welders, electronic bench assembly, and electrical technicians. Results from the survey were obtained by conducting personal interviews with top-level management of twenty-three area employers, both large and small. (Please refer to the attached survey results.) Survey results indicate that manpower needs for the period of June 15, 1979 through June 15, 1980 are: An additional survey was conducted for the purpose of identifying the projected number of students that would be graduating from vocational/technical schools in Hampden County to meet this manpower demand. |