“We are proud of this Fabricated Metal Product/CNC Manufacturing program,” said New Jersey Labor Commissioner Harold J. Wirths. “We changed our training model by aligning our training efforts with the needs of New Jersey employers, which give the participants in the program an opportunity for a real job that’s in demand while also offering a sustainable career.”

Today’s event marks the 11th class of graduates from the Metal Product/CNC Manufacturing program, and the second training class to use the mobile lab unveiled last summer. The mobile lab is a self-contained manufacturing learning workshop on wheels equipped with nearly 400 square feet of classroom space as well as computers and hands-on equipment to train individuals in the advanced manufacturing areas of CNC (Computer Numerical Control) metal fabrication and mechatronics.

Of the 11 students graduating, two are taking on full-time positions and two have job offers pending. Nearly 200 individuals have been trained in metal fabrication, CNC and certified production technicians with an 85 percent job placement rate.

“Our community colleges are establishing new relationships with manufactures who are benefiting by the availability of well trained workforce as a result of this Advanced Manufacturing Initiative, championed by the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development since 2012,” said Sivaraman Anbarasan, Executive Director of the New Jersey Community College Consortium for Workforce & Economic Development. “By using the mobile training lab to teach metal fabrication and CNC, we are able to bring this important workforce training to where the jobs are anywhere in the state and help the unemployed retool their skills for a new career in manufacturing, right in their neighborhood. Thanks to a new federal Ready to Work grant supplemented by the New Jersey Department of Labor, we will continue this training uninterrupted for another four years.”

“I applaud the graduates of this training program,” said Commissioner Wirths. “It clearly demonstrates that successful training initiatives must focus on providing job-seekers with the skills our employers identify as essential to their businesses.”

The 11 graduates are equipped for careers in the Fabricated Metal industry, which involves cutting, bending and transforming metal into finished products or parts for assembly. Each trainee also passed the National Institute for Metalworking Skills (NIMS) Certification Exam for Measurement, Materials, and Safety Level I.

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