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The goals of a new, 26-week training course are to increase production efficiency and help workers advance.
By JENNIFER GOLDBLATT
© St. Petersburg Times, published June 28, 2001
The Economic Development Council and some of Pasco's manufacturers have come up with a way to raise the skills and salaries of local manufacturing workers: Teach them.
The EDC and its council of manufacturers have created a 26-week course for local companies designed to improve efficiency on the production floor and to help production workers advance to management roles.
The Manufacturing Supervisory Program covers topics ranging from government regulations and supervision to cultural diversity, performance management and conflict resolution.
Employers will pay $300 per employee for the course. Instructors from Pasco-Hernando Community College and the West Coast Employers Association (WCEA) will teach the classes, which will be held at Marchman Technical Education Center.There will be both daytime and evening sessions.
About 40 employees have already filled the classes that begin Aug 1. As other companies express interest, additional sessions will be launched, said John Walsh, the EDC's existing industry manager. Walsh is working with manufacturers on the east side of the county to start a similar program there.
"This kind of training is needed in Pasco as the county looks to attract and grow local business," said Stuart Charlson, a principal of Tampa-based WCEA, which provides human resources training and other services for companies in the area. "It's part of having an infrastructure in place."
John Mistal, managing partner of American Building Materials, is sending four employees through the program, because he saw the opportunity to promote from within as the company grows.
"I think people want to stay with you if they see you're doing things like paying for them to go to school," said Mistal. "They feel good about themselves."
In other news, the EDC's board passed a resolution supporting Saddlebrook Resort's efforts to lure the Women's Tennis Association headquarters to Pasco. The WTA is expected to announce where it will put its headquarters later this week.
Earlier this week, county commissioners tentatively approved giving the group $750,000 for advertising over the next 10 years. The bid package also includes Saddlebrook's promise to build a 13,000-square-foot office for the WTA.
Saddlebrook owner Tom Dempsey is also trying to persuade county commissioners to build a tennis stadium in Wesley Chapel using $5-million in tourist tax proceeds collected since 1991.
- For more information about the Manufacturing Supervisory Program, call the EDC at 1-813-996-4075.