New England Public Radio

Mass. Gov. Deval Patrick spoke in February 2013 at Holyoke Community College. William Messner, president of the college, is at right.
(Photo Credit: John Suchocki for The Republican)

Two Western Mass. Community Colleges Form Partnership To Provide Manufacturing Training

The heads of Springfield Technical Community College and Holyoke Community College Friday announced a new partnership. The colleges will offer manufacturing training to about 30 unemployed OR underemployed people, and then help them get jobs. Bill Messner is the president of Holyoke Community College. He says the program will help meet the demand for skilled labor at local manufacturers.

“Adults who have dropped out, adults who don’t have a high school diploma, adults who have come to this country recently and don’t speak English and don’t have English speaking language skills, that is the workforce of the future for western Massachusetts,” Messner says.

The partnership will be mostly funded by the state’s Advanced Manufacturing Collaborative, a group of businesses with a stake in the state’s economy. Governor Deval Patrick also attended the announcement.