MMTA’s President Ed Lofgren and the Education Committee have been actively pursuing a tie-in with Mass. Maritime Academy and Massasoit Community College in the hopes of getting a Work Force Training Fund Grant for our employees.

Mass. Maritime presently offers a Basic Marine Trades Job Training Program for potential employees. Our hope is that this can be expanded so our present employees can be trained to improve their basic skills. A Focus Group of 18 members has been meeting with Dean Millinette of MMA to propose a curriculum of interest to the Association.

The Group’s next meeting will be January 25th at the Plymouth South High School, courtesy of Bill Fairbanks head of the Auto and Marine Departments there. At this time a curriculum of about 100 hours is hoped to be solidified that will be offered to all members.

To qualify for the Training Grant Fund, it must be matched on a dollar-for-dollar basis by the applicants. In other words, the employer must be willing to pay the employee during the training period. It has been proposed that the training be done on a part-time basis with the employee working, for example, one half-day and going to school the other half, two or three days a week. The intent is to reduce, as much as possible, interruptions in the employer’s work schedule.

The employee must be a full-time employee and the training has to be during the normal work week. We understand that hours can be somewhat flexible – for example the employee could work from 12 to 4, and go to school from 5 to 9 PM.

The priorities of the Grant are job retention, job growth, or increased wages.