Venango
Employability Skills Training
For
more information, contact
Dan Brockett at
814-437-7607
The InVEST Consortium consists of nine
northwestern Pennsylvania manufacturers, working in conjunction with
education and public sector agencies to address workforce development
needs.
Mission:
To provide a cost-effective, business driven process which will
provide the community with a qualified workforce which keeps pace with
the global marketplace.
Primary
Goal:
To create a pool of entry-level manufacturing applicants with the
skills and attitudes necessary for productivity, further training, and
promotion from within.
A declining workforce in the face of
robust economic growth presents a challenge to many manufacturers. In
1997, the InVEST Consortium came together in response to an increasingly
tight labor market to create a 120-hour, 6-week pre-employment training
program that promises employers applicants educated in teamwork,
communication, and quality. Potential InVEST candidates pass an
interview, a drug screening, and an aptitude test. A rigorous evening
course schedule, a commitment fee, and a zero-absence policy foster
commitment and a strong work ethic in InVEST students. Since about 60%
of the course is taught by trainers from industry, it is a real
opportunity for employers and job-seekers to size each other up. Plant
tours and priority-setting exercises are a further insurance of a good
fit between jobs and potential new hires.
InVEST only runs when the member
companies have a hiring need. Companies promise to make InVEST their
first hiring source, and per-hire fees set by the Consortium make the
program self-sustaining. There is, however, no obligation to hire, and
no InVEST graduate is obligated to accept jobs or interviews. It is this commitment from the manufacturing community
which makes it easy to recruit participants for the course.
The InVEST system works for the benefit of both consortium companies and
InVEST participants with high satisfaction given on both ends to the
success of the program..
Are you a business interested in
joining the InVEST Consortium? an individual who wishes to sign up for
training? a service provider thinking about developing a similar
program? Please contact
Dan Brockett
at
437-7607
for details.
Curriculum
Consortium Members
Cumulative
Statistical Report
"Quality Training Leads to Quality Jobs
for a Qualified Workforce”
InVEST
participants help Venango County electric company providing repair
services in New Orleans
By KAREN CLARK
