Contact: Bonnie Merrill Limbach
(202) 974-5210

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

STATES PROVIDE FUNDING FOR DELIVERY OF SPI WORKER TRAINING AND CERTIFICATION

Florida, Kentucky Support Association Programs

WASHINGTON (June 19, 2001) – The Society of the Plastics Industry, Inc. (SPI) recently was awarded a $250,000 contract from the State of Florida to help train and certify more than 300 plastics industry workers at no cost to their employers.

The training will be provided through SPI's Plastics Learning Network (PLN), which delivers live, interactive televised training via a satellite link to a local community college or plastics facility. Testing will be done through the SPI National Certification in Plastics program, which assesses workers' understanding of machine operations, basic safety procedures, storage and handling and other critical skill sets. Under the program, qualified plastics companies in the state may obtain funding for their employees to take a PLN course and an NCP exam, a $750 value per employee.

The contract award follows a highly successful pilot program that took place this spring. A partnership among SPI, Enterprise Florida, Inc., the Florida Plastics Industry Council and Workforce Florida, Inc, the pilot accessed funds available under the state's Incumbent Worker Training program to deliver training and certification.

That initial effort reached more than 100 Florida plastics industry workers, receiving high marks from both trainees and their employers.

“During the first Florida program, we received consistent comments from participating companies' owners and human resources managers noting the excitement generated by the training effort,” said SPI Director of Workforce Development Gary Moore. “Many noted benefits beyond enhanced and verified skills, citing improvements in attitude, attendance, teamwork and job loyalty.”

Moore is confident that same excitement will extend northward into Kentucky, which recently awarded $42,000 to the Kentucky Plastics Industry Consortium to expand the PLN and NCP efforts there. The grant, awarded by the Bluegrass State Skills Corporation, a part of the state cabinet for economic development, will provide matching funds for the training course and certification exam for up to 120 students. In this effort, Kentucky Education Television will transmit the PLN Injection Molding course into the commonwealth's 1700 public schools and colleges. Classes will begin in September.

The U.S. plastics industry employs more than 1.5 million workers nationwide, according to Moore, and plastics processing is the fourth-largest U.S. manufacturing industry.

“With more than $300 billion in shipments annually,” he continued, “the U.S. plastics industry has a profound effect on our national economy and has a presence in virtually every state.”

Thus, he added, “SPI applauds those states that have reached out to its plastics processors to help provide solutions to their training and certification problems and we will continue to pursue partnerships to help maintain a strong plastics workforce throughout the country.”

Founded in 1937, The Society of the Plastics Industry, Inc., is the trade association representing one of the largest manufacturing industries in the United States. SPI's 1,500 members represent the entire plastics industry supply chain, including processors, machinery and equipment manufacturers and raw material suppliers.

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