Flathead Valley Community College’s $3 million advanced manufacturing grant was celebrated during the school’s fourth annual spring luncheon Monday.

“Building a Competitive Manufacturing Workforce” was the theme of the luncheon.

In September 2012, the federal Education and Labor departments awarded FVCC grants to develop short-term, innovative job training programs and an entrepreneurship center to help grow small manufacturing in Northwest Montana. 

FVCC first decided to apply for a manufacturing grant because it fit three criteria, according to panelist Brad Eldredge, FVCC’s executive director of institutional research.

“It had to focus on jobs that could be trained for in two years or less, pay well and be of strategic importance to the area,” he said. “And manufacturing rose to the top.”

Eldredge said the data continue to be positive in Flathead Valley manufacturing. He said employment in the traditional area of wood-products manufacturing has stabilized, while non-woods-products jobs are up 10.7 percent in the most recent numbers.

“I think we’re on the cusp of something exciting in the Flathead Valley in terms of manufacturing,” Eldredge said. “And we want our local employers to be able to count on a skilled workforce.”

Jacey Barnay, senior human resources manager in manufacturing for Plum Creek, encouraged local employers to take advantage of the National Career Readiness Certificate. The program, which can be found at www.act.org, demonstrates achievement and employability skills in applied mathematics, locating information and reading for information. 

Plum Creek is working with FVCC to explore the benefits of assessing students for career readiness. All positions within any company require effective communication, problem solving, and critical and innovative thinking, she said.

“Employees drive our business success,” she said. “They are our No. 1 asset.”

 Helping students develop important workplace skills is also important to Carl Coletti, an adviser to Nomad Global Communications Solutions. He hopes to help FVCC students focus on what have traditionally been called “soft skills.”

“How do we make students aware, understand and contribute?” he asked. “It begins in the classroom — the way information is transferred, the way we ask for their perspective.”

He is advocating for roundtables for students and business leaders during which there will be an exchange of ideas. 

Dean Campbell, fabrication manager of Applied Materials, spoke about how a skills gap negatively affects local companies. When Applied Materials needs to find skilled machinists, for example, the firm often had to recruit not only outside the Flathead Valley but often out of state.

This brings challenges, such as recruitment travel and relocation costs and the use of employee time. He said hiring people from outside the valley is less than ideal because the ties young workers have to home and family often prove stronger than a good job. 

“When we lose them, it hurts pretty bad,” he said.

Those hired locally by Applied Materials (formerly Semitool) have an average of more than 16 years of employment with the company, he said. 

“So we’re very excited to develop a program to help us address these issues,” Campbell said of the FVCC manufacturing program. “We’re encouraging other businesses to get involved as well.”

 Grant-funded activities under way at FVCC include creating two new industrial machine technology certificate programs; purchasing new Computer Numerical Control mills and lathes to enhance training; renovating the Occupational Trades Building to provide space for two new machining classrooms; developing internships and apprenticeships with area employers; and developing training focused on computer-assisted learning through the math department.

Reporter Heidi Gaiser may be reached at 758-4439 or by email at hgaiser@dailyinterlake.com.