DeWys Mfg. receives 2014 STTF grant

Precision metal fabricator DeWys Mfg. Inc., Marne, Mich., has received an $18,800 grant from the Workforce Development Agency’s Skilled Trades Training Fund (STTF) program. The STTF provides competitive awards for employers that have developed and implemented workforce training programs to enhance skills, efficiency, and employee retention while increasing the quality and competitiveness of Michigan’s businesses.

This state-funded grant allows the company to hire and train 10 new team members in the press brake and welding departments, as well as hold kata training for team leads by September 2015.

Training for the new team members will be held through DeWys University, a curriculum built on both theory and practice. Students receive six weeks of instructional and hands-on experience with a trainer in one of the five subject areas—welding, press brake operation, powder coating, machining, and cutting—followed by another six weeks of mentoring on the shop floor.

Kata training will be provided on-site by Grand Rapids Community College. In the workplace, katas are small, structured practice routines or protocols that help an organization get stronger at achieving goals and meeting challenges.