PJC and Campbell Soup receive TWC Skills Development Grant
Published or Revised April 03, 2015
Shown at the Texas Workforce Commission check presentation are, from left, Northeast Texas Workforce Solutions Executive Director Randy Reed, Paris Junior College President Dr. Pamela Anglin, TWC Commissioner Representing Employers Hope Andrade, Campbell OE Training Coordinator Joyce Faulkner, and Terese Kane, High Perfomance/Organizational Effectiveness Manager for Campbell North America and the Campbell Paris facility.
The Paris plant of the Campbell Soup Supply Co. is partnering with Paris Junior College to provide customized training for incumbent employees using a $499,708 Skills Development Fund grant from the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC).
“Thank you all for coming,” said PJC President Dr. Pamela Anglin as she introduced special guests, and speakers. “From PJC’s perspective Campbell Soup employees have been wonderful to work with. Our partnership with Campbell Soup has been a model partnership.”
“The Skills Development Fund allows Texas employers access to customized training programs,” said TWC Commissioner Representing Employers Hope Andrade. “This grant will result in a skilled workforce, a better quality of work for the employer, and in-demand certifications for many individuals in this community.”
After a recent expansion, the Campbell Soup Supply Co. Paris plant increased manufacturing volume resulting in additional jobs at the plant. The grant will be used to custom train 439 incumbent workers on safety procedures, labeler operator and maintenance training to meet production and technology demands. Those trained will include warehouse operators, maintenance workers and safety technicians. Upon completion of training, the workers will receive an average wage of $19.06.
“Thank you so very much on behalf of Campbell and our entire employee population for these possibilities,” said Terese Kane, High Performance/Organizational Effectiveness Manager for Campbell North America and the Campbell Paris facility. She gave an overview of the training, which is expected to conclude by the end of August.
“This shows what we have been able to achieve for Campbell Paris and for the rest of the company,” Kane said, explaining that her team of nine employees covered the organizational training needs of 891 employees at the plant.
“I want to thank President Anglin for everything that you do for the community and the great leadership you provide the college,” said Andrade. “We could easily mail checks but we come in person to congratulate the community for coming together and making this happen. We know Campbell is a global company and that you’ve made a large capital investment here. In Texas, we support our employers and we appreciate you growing jobs in this community. Manufacturing is important for our state and we want to keep growing that.”
From the program’s inception in 1996 through 2014, Skills Development Fund grants have created or upgraded more than 316,000 jobs throughout Texas. The grants have assisted 4,074 employers with their customized training needs. The Legislature allocated nearly $48 million to the Skills Development Fund for the 2014-15 biennium. Employers seeking more information about the Skills Development Fund may visit the TWC website at www.texasworkforce.org/skills.
