ANDERSON – Helping to prepare local residents for advanced manufacturing jobs is the goal of a new program unveiled by Anderson Mayor Thomas Broderick Jr.
The new Anderson Advanced Manufacturing Program, or AAMP, is a work readiness program that is bringing together local commercial and manufacturing businesses, economic development leaders and the local education system.
The city is making available $120,000 for the economic development project from food and beverage tax revenues for the AAMP program.
The Flagship Enterprise Center, JobSource, NTN Drive Shaft, NTK Precision Axle, Red Gold and Sirmax are providing additional funding and support for this program.
Broderick said the city expects additional partners from the manufacturing community to join the AAMP in the future.
AAMP will launch April 1 at Purdue Polytechnic Institute with a 160-hour course over a four-week period. AAMP training slots are paid positions and will pay $1,600 for the entire program. For the first three months, up to 30 applicants will be accepted each month.
Broderick hopes the program will expand to 100 internships later this year.
“The city of Anderson is taking the lead in helping to develop the skills needed to obtain a quality job in the new world of advanced manufacturing,” Broderick said. “There are real opportunities in the workplace for an individual to acquire a position in an advanced manufacturing that can lead to very well-paying jobs with real opportunities for advancement.”
Last November, Greg Winkler, executive director of the Anderson Economic Development Department, said candidates starting the internship program must be drug free, show up on time and put their cellphones aside for eight hours.
Purdue Polytechnic in Anderson worked with the city in creating the AAMP curriculum with coordination from partners NTN, NTK, Red Gold and Sirmax. AAMP is modeled after the Lafayette RAMP program created by Subaru and Conexus, which has successfully reduced new employee turnover by 60 percent while reducing costs.
More information
To participate in the AAMP, companies or potential candidates should contact Marc Slayton of the Anderson Economic Development Department at 602-2582 or Vince Smith at JobSource at 603-9670.
Follow Ken de la Bastide on Twitter @KendelaBastide, or call 765-640-4863.