United Envelope - A Featured Success Story!

A great success story coming from the WEDnetPA partner - East Stroudsburg University featuring participating company: United Envelope.

Our Company’s challenge is to find and train employees to work in our production areas and learn the envelope manufacturing equipment and processes.  Almost all applicants come to us with no knowledge of the envelope industry.  Some applicants have prior manufacturing experience and for others this would be their first work experience in manufacturing.  Therefore, we need to train virtually every new hire.

The type of training we need to provide is specialized based on the particular types of envelope manufacturing equipment that we have on our production floor.  Therefore, we need to do in-house training.  Our training and safety manager spends the first two weeks with every new hire and has a training process for those two weeks that involves hands-on training and classroom training. Types of training include – understanding the parts of an envelope; machinery safety such as guards, lock-out tag-out, and proper operation of the machine; quality inspection of the envelopes; packaging process; reading and working with job jackets; and PPE training.  He reviews daily processes, safety procedures, quality procedures, and more.  It is an expense to do such in-depth training, but our hope is that each new hire learns the business, remains with us and advances to other positions.  It is to their benefit and ours for them to have a full understanding of the work processes.

We heard about WEDnePA and contacted our local partner at East Stroudsburg University to see if it was a program that we could utilize.  What makes WEDnePA a perfect fit for us is that we can utilize our own trainer, even an in-house trainer.  We build a training plan to meet our objectives and WEDnetPA allows us to revise the plan if it becomes necessary during the contract year.  Submitting our invoice information as to training hours, reimbursement due, etc. is fairly easy.  The funds we receive from WEDnetPA allow us to do more training in other areas as it supplements the core training expense.  WEDnetPA is a program that helps employers to meet training needs and does so in a way that is not overly cumbersome to the employer.

Submitted to WEDnetPA by: Vicki Herman - HR Director

November Success Story - Osram Sylvania

A great success story coming from the WEDnetPA partner - North Central PA Regional Planning and Development Commission featuring participating company: Osram Sylvania.  

Registered in 1906, OSRAM SYLVANIA, INC., has been producing incandescent light bulbs for over 100 years in the St. Marys area, with the last 55 years at our current location.  As a major employer in Elk County, the years have presented several challenges and opportunities in process improvement and new product initiatives.

In 2007, OSRAM SYLVANIA, had record sales.  With production increasing, the need for new skilled workers also increased.  OSRAM SYLVANIA addressed this need and continues to do so with a rigorous hiring process requiring both a written and mechanical aptitude test.  Operating three shifts round the clock, employees must be able to troubleshoot the production process.  OSRAM SYLVANIA is also faced with ongoing legislative and environmental challenges as we move to conserve and “go green.”  The halogen bulb and the new LED street lamp are responses to this move and show how OSRAM SYLVANIA has been creative despite challenges.

Fortunately, OSRAM SYLVANIA in St. Marys had North Central to help us address our need for a skilled workforce.  North Central has been working with OSRAM SYLVANIA since mid 1990’s.  With three Customized Job Training Grants, a Governor’s Action Team Award, and WEDnetPA, OSRAM SYLVANIA used resources available to us through the Department of Community and Economic Development to focus efforts to develop and implement training programs advancing our workers’ skills.  “Programs such as WEDnet offered us the ability to use our own resources, our employees, as trainers for complex operating procedures,” remarked Cindy Cortinovis, Human Resource Supervisor for OSRAM SYLVANIA.  “We also have the flexibility to hire third-party trainers or consultants, if needed.  Training made simple.  Such partnerships are key to past and future ventures.”

I advise companies who face similar training challenges to look for funding opportunities through programs such as WEDnetPA.