Iowa Workforce Development is awarding its first round of grants under a new program meant to train more skilled workers in the state's advanced manufacturing industry.
The agency said the "Advanced Manufacturing Pathways Development" program, called AMP'D Iowa, is giving grants to 16 businesses totaling $1,391,547. The awards are estimated to support training for 631 workers statewide.
According to the agency, recipients will design their own training programs focused on production, machine maintenance and other critical skill gaps in their workforces.
"Iowa manufacturers now have another tool that will help them elevate their most valuable resource and strengthen our competitive economy," Gov. Kim Reynolds said in the release. "I applaud today's awardees for their investment in building and sustaining our highly skilled manufacturing workforce."
Initial awardees
- Blackhawk Engineering, LLC – Cedar Falls
- Cemen Tech, Inc. – Indianola
- ConAgra Brands, Inc. – Waterloo
- Geater Machining & Manufacturing Co. – Independence
- Grain Millers, Inc. – St. Ansgar
- Lewis Machine & Tool Co. – Eldridge
- Link Mfg, LTD – Sioux Center
- McCarthy-Bush Corp dba Oertel Metal Works, Inc. – Davenport
- MMS Thermal Processing, LLC – Davenport
- Plastics Unlimited, Inc. – Preston
- Power Engineering & Manufacturing – Waterloo
- Price Industrial Electric, Inc. – Robins
- Quality Plus Manufacturing, LLC – Oelwein
- Raining Rose, Inc. – Cedar Rapids
- Softronics, Ltd. – Marion
- Wieland & Sons Lumber Co. – Winthrop
Applications still open
The agency said this is the first round of what will eventually total an estimated $4 million in AMP'D Iowa awards. The grant process remains open, with applications accepted on a rolling basis until all remaining funds are awarded.
Eligible employers may receive up to 80 percent reimbursement for the cost of training newly hired or current workers. Awards can include a maximum of $4,000 per employee, up to $250,000 per employer.
Applications are accepted at iowagrants.gov. More information, including application documents and recorded webinars, is available at ampd.iowa.gov.
"Today's awards made possible by the AMP'D initiative represent not only a significant investment in our workforce, but also a positive development for an industry whose impact is felt across our state," said Beth Townsend, executive director of Iowa Workforce Development. "We hope that these initial awards encourage more employers in advanced manufacturing to consider applying to upskill their workforce and strengthen the skills of fellow Iowans."
The agency said grant funds were made possible by the U.S. Department of Labor's Industry-Driven Skills Training Fund, and that AMP'D Iowa builds on the state's earlier Manufacturing 4.0 initiative.
Source: the original release