The Delaware Area Career Center recently partnered with a Delaware company to hold customized training sessions.
Director of Adult Operations Chad Williams said the school’s adult education program hosted several training sessions this fall with staff at PPG, a global supplier of paints, coatings and specialty materials located at 760 Pittsburgh Drive in Delaware.
Williams said the school has been conducting annual training sessions with the internal fire brigade at PPG that covers subjects like personal protective equipment, properly dressing in fire gear, use of self-contained breathing apparatus, searches during a fire emergency, using fire extinguishers, how to connect and use fire hoses, and various live fire drills. Williams said the training was conducted in October over the course of two days with two shifts.
The DACC, Williams added, also did a welding training with PPG in which the school’s adult education instructor spent two weeks training PPG employees on welding techniques to help with specific needs at their facility.
“We have been working to increase our presence in the customized training market for a couple of years now and are seeing annual growth,” Williams said. “PPG has been a valuable partner in that area. Our goal is to strengthen the economic outlook of Delaware County by providing our business partners with customized, convenient, and cost-effective training options to upskill their employees and increase productivity.”
Williams said the trainings benefit the school as well as the businesses.
“This relationship we have with our local business partners is very strong at both the adult and high school level,” he said. “This is our opportunity to give back to businesses that have been so generous to us over the years. This relationship also creates natural pipelines for a well-trained workforce. We are always working to promote our customized training services to business and industry partners around Delaware County. We want to be able to provide local businesses with viable training resources that will help their businesses thrive, which in turn enhances the economic development of our region.”
Williams said county businesses should reach out if they want to partner with the school, which offers courses in various subjects: CPR, welding, fire service, soft skills, computer skills, automotive painting, forklift, construction and culinary arts.
“I want all businesses to know that we are a resource for them to use to upskill and enhance their workforce,” Williams said. “Currently, most businesses are struggling to find and retain a qualified workforce. This program helps them with that issue.”
As director of Adult Operations, Williams said part of his job is meeting with local business leaders to determine how the DACC can fill needs by providing trainings or resources, and partnerships are the extension of that initiative.
“The goal is to provide training and resources that will provide businesses with workforce and economic stability,” Williams said. “If our businesses succeed, then our county succeeds. I do a lot of work with our local economic development agencies and their goal is always to recruit and retain business and industry to our region. Employers need viable training options to recruit, retain, and upskill their staff, so we want to be a viable option for businesses to get training.”
Williams can be reached at [email protected] for more information.
