The 14 graduates were formally saluted at the Bergen Community College, where they were the sixth class to receive instruction under a metal fabrication program that is designed to provide workers with manufacturing skills and hands-on experience. Approximately 89 percent of the 56 people who have undergone the training in five previous classes over the past two years have landed jobs.

“This Fabricated Metal Product/CNC Manufacturing program is successful because it focuses on the needs of New Jersey employers. With industry sectors identifying the skills they need in their employees to be competitive in an ever-changing market, we are able to give job-seekers the training that makes them valuable assets to employers,” said Labor Commissioner Harold J. Wirths.

Assistant Commissioner Jeffrey Stoller, who spoke at the graduation ceremony, credited the program’s success to the involvement of businesses in the training process and its focus on teaching skills identified by employers.

The Fabricated Metal Product/CNC Manufacturing Program, which also supports manufacturing in New Jersey, teaches manufacturing skills related to cutting, bending and transforming metal into finished products or parts for assembly. Each graduate must pass the National Institute for Metalworking Skills (NIMS) Certification Exam for Measurement, Materials, and Safety Level I.

Previous training programs were conducted at Bergen Community College, Camden County College, Middlesex County College, Passaic County Technical Institute and the New Jersey Institute of Technology. The training initiative has involved the state’s Advanced Manufacturing Talent Network, which works to incorporate employers into the educational and training curriculums around New Jersey to give people the skills that are in demand among the Garden State’s major industries.

For more information about the Fabricated Metal Product / CNC Machining Manufacturing Training Program and admission requirements please go to www.njworkforce.org.