Florida MEP: Florida Manufacturing Extension Partnership

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 24, 2009

For more information please contact:
Claudia Follet
(321) 939-4000
claudiaf@floridamep.org

Job Training and Placement Program Rolls Into Brevard County
More than 20 Brevard residents participate in job training that opens doors to employment

MELBOURNE, FL - On Monday, a two-week intensive job training and placement program will roll into Brevard County offering 22 out-of-work Floridians a chance at employment. The Mobile Outreach Skills Training (M.O.S.T) program, in partnership with the Florida Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), is a state-of-the-art mobile training unit that provides a unique opportunity to not only receive job training, but also the promise of a job interview at the end of the two-week session.

Participants in the training represent a diverse pool of Florida’s unemployed including single mothers looking to get back into the workforce, those laid off from the manufacturing industry and displaced aerospace workers. Overwhelming response from those interested in participating in the program and employers seeking qualified job candidates has resulted in an additional Brevard County training session scheduled for late October.

“With so many people out of work right now, finding a new job can often be a frustrating and discouraging process. The M.O.S.T. program provides a proven path to gainful employment,” said Florida MEP Board Chair Gene Lussier. “On graduation day, 95 percent of M.O.S.T graduates are immediately placed in full-time jobs with benefits and the skills needed to succeed – it’s the very definition of economic stimulus. This program has an immediate impact on the economy and yields an unparallel rapid return on invested dollars.”

According to data released last week by the Agency for Workforce Innovation, one in nine Brevard County residents is currently out of work; slightly higher than Florida’s average unemployment rate of 10.7 percent. With the unique advantage of mobility, the M.O.S.T traveling training facility outfitted with cutting-edge training equipment is able to take its services to the parts of the state where jobs and potential employees are located. For the next two weeks, the mobile unit will be housed on the premises of the Technological Research and Development Authority (TRDA) in Melbourne.

“The first two-weeks are very intense as participants are expected to show up every day, as they would show up for any job, and put serious effort into their training,” said Julie Song, Florida MEP project manager. “We identify jobs from local employers prior to the program’s initiation which results in nearly 100 percent of our trainees receiving one or even more job offers. Continued on-the-job training has translated into an amazing 85 percent of participants remaining in those jobs after six months.”

Candidates for the Brevard County M.O.S.T. program were selected by Florida MEP in partnership with Brevard Job Link, a network of career centers. To be eligible for the program, each M.O.S.T participant must pass a basic education test and undergo a background check and drug screening. Prior to selection for participation in the program, each candidate is interviewed by a M.O.S.T. representative.

“We are very pleased to be taking part in this program and look forward to augmenting our team with already trained and prepared workers who can hit the ground running when they get here,” said Andrea Bortner, vice president of Human Resources for Harris Government Communications Systems. “The M.O.S.T. program is a great way for us to connect with skilled candidates.”

“Even though Brevard County is facing tough times, our company is actually looking to hire two to three additional experienced workers,” said Eva Kohfeldt, President of Global Engineering Management & Support, Inc., “As a small company, that’s a substantial addition to our workforce. The fact that the M.O.S.T program will provide these new hires with the skills we need is a driving factor in our decision to grow and bring on more employees.”

For more information on Florida MEP or the M.O.S.T Unit, visit www.floridamep.org or www.timewisemost.com.

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The M.O.S.T mobile unit will be stationed on the Technological Research and Development Authority premises, located at 1050 W. NASA Blvd., Melbourne, FL 32901, from Monday, Sept. 28 through Friday, Oct. 9. The unit will be available for media tours on Tuesday, Sept. 29 at noon and on Wednesday, Sept. 30 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Program participants and instructors will be available for comment at these times.

Florida Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) is a non-profit service available to every manufacturer in the state to help them compete more effectively in the global marketplace. In the past five years Florida MEP clients reported $795.8 million in increased and retained sales and 2,520 jobs created or retained as a direct result of guidance received by the program. The nationwide system of MEP centers is linked through the U.S. Department of Commerce - National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), with the common goal to strengthen the global competitiveness of U.S. manufacturers.

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