WELLESLEY HILLS (August 2, 2016) — MassBay Community College is pleased to announce that student Ellen Gowen has been hired by MicroGroup of Medway, MA after completing her internship through MassBay’s TRANSFORM program and with the assistance of local One-Stop Career Center.
Gowen, who was recently unemployed, used the Norwood One-Stop Career Center to assist in her job search, and found that her skillset and her interests matched MassBay’s TRANSFORM certificate program, which offers education, training, and certificate in high demand advanced manufacturing field. One-Stop Career staff quickly introduced Ellen to MassBay’s program and to available training grants.
Framingham and Norwood’s One-Stop Career Centers work in collaboration to ensure regional employees are skilled and job ready to keep the local economy strong. One-Stop Career Centers also provide some qualified unemployed workers with training grants that provide support with short term training to help people gain permanent employment.
The U.S. Department of Labor federal funding from the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training Grant (TAACCCT) ensures community colleges are advancing a comprehensive approach to addressing the training and educational needs of workers and employers statewide with a focus on articulated pathways to careers in high-growth STEM sectors, as well as advanced manufacturing and healthcare. This project entitled Guided Pathways to Success in STEM (GPSTEM) uses the national Complete College America Guided Pathways to Success model to assist eligible students in obtaining degrees and certificates in STEM fields. The model focuses on reducing the time to completion of certificates and degree programs, resulting in more students entering employment in the Commonwealth and/or transferring to baccalaureate education to add to their credentials.
“This is a great example of how Massbay and Employment Training and Resources (ETR) partnered up to provide customers with training opportunities that help enhance/develop technical skills that prepare them to return to the workforce,” said MassBay GPSTEM College and Career Navigator Phara Boyer. “The DOL GPSTEM Grant has provided us with a great pipeline to take Massachusetts One-Stop Career Center customers and help them become Massbay students while working together throughout the training. Transform helps provide students with more tools for their toolbox.”
Gowen, who was in the TRANSFORM program for Advanced Manufacturing Technology, is a Laser Operator, manufacturing medical instruments and devices for MicroGroup of Medway. She finished the two semester evening TRANSFORM certificate program May 2016 and started her full-time job in April 2016. Gowen is a former carpenter from Randolph and is the mother of an adult daughter. She is excited about her new career opportunity and thankful for the training funds she received from the One-Stop Career Center.
“My background was in carpentry and when I tried to re-enter the workforce, I knew I needed to update my existing skills for the current workforce,” said Ellen Gowen. “After visiting the Norwood One-Stop Career Center I found the MassBay TRANSFORM program was just what I was looking for. I’m presently employed as a Laser Operator, manufacturing medical instruments and devices, and I am really enjoying my new career.”
Employment & Training Resources (ETR) is the local One-Stop Career Center for the Metro South/West region of Massachusetts, with full-service career center offices in Framingham and Norwood. Chartered by Partnerships for a Skilled Workforce, Inc., ETR is a joint venture of the Metro South/West Employment & Training Administration and the Massachusetts Department of Labor and Workforce Development. ETR is a member of the Massachusetts Workforce Professionals Association, a nonprofit membership association representing local workforce professionals in Massachusetts.
“The success of this customer is a prime example of how the Massachusetts One-Stop Career Centers (MOSCC) and Community Colleges can partner together on behalf of jobseekers,” said One-Stop Career Centers Metro South/West ETA Employment & Training Resources of Norwood/Framingham Operations Director Lee-Ann Johnson. “As a team, we provide participants with the resources necessary for them to obtain employment. Together we match training opportunities that help enhance and develop the technical skills that are in demand by local employers, with funding sources and job search preparation needed to gain the competitive advantage in today’s workforce. The DOL GPSTEM Grant has provided us at Employment & Training Resources (Metro South/West region of MOSCC) with a successful pipeline for eligible participants to become students at MassBay Community College while supporting them through training, job search and ultimately employment. Partnerships like this benefit everyone involved.”
TRANSFORM is a post-undergraduate one-year certificate program in Advanced Manufacturing. This collaboration between MassBay and Northeastern University, with support from the National Science Foundation, has created and implemented an innovative model to future develop the skill sets of non-technical college graduates in order to prepare them for careers in manufacturing. The program enables bachelor’s degree graduates in non-technical fields to be trained for advanced manufacturing jobs that would otherwise go unfilled due to the shortage of qualified job seekers nationwide.
On Thursday, August 4, 2016 from 6pm – 7:30pm MassBay’s GP STEM Programs (Advanced Manufacturing, Cyber Security, and IT/CIS) will hold an Open House for prospective students to learn more about the program. The Norwood/Framingham ETR One-Stop Career Centers will be on-hand to assist in answering job search related questions, training grant inquiries and what career paths are growing in the MetroWest area.