AMP IT UP

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AMP IT UP! MATCHING GRANTS TO THE NORTH CENTRAL MASSACHUSETTS DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION TOTALING $10,000 FOR INCREASING
ADVANCED MANUFACTURING CAREER AWARENESS

MassDevelopment announced 10 partnerships will receive AMP it up! matching grants to conduct outreach and other innovative programs that will educate young people and adults about career options in advanced manufacturing. Among those partners is the North Central Massachusetts Development Corporation who will receive $10,000 for the 4th concecutive year to continue to promote and grow awareness for careers in advanced manufacturing.

The lead organizations on these 10 partnerships are: Berkshire Community College (Pittsfield), Cape Cod Community College (West Barnstable), Franklin Hampshire Regional Employment Board (Greenfield), Greater Lowell Workforce Investment Board (Lowell), Metro North Regional Employment Board (Cambridge), New Bedford Chamber of Commerce, North Central Massachusetts Economic Development Council (Fitchburg), Quinsigamond Community College (Worcester), Regional Employment Board of Hampden County (Springfield), and Shawsheen Valley Regional Vocational Technical School (Billerica).

In a complementary effort to promote the attractiveness of careers in advanced manufacturing, MassDevelopment is also holding a second edition of the AMP it up! Video Challenge, which invites students to research the inner workings of an advanced manufacturing innovation and show in a three-minute video how it impacts the world around them. An online balloting tool will allow the public to help determine the winning videos, which will earn cash prizes donated to their schools. One middle school, one high school, and one community college will each win $5,000 in funding for a total of $15,000 in prize money.

“These 10 partnerships have developed creative, thoughtful proposals – in conjunction with industry – to reach students, guidance counselors, and veterans about the great potential of manufacturing careers,” said MassDevelopment President and CEO Marty Jones. “This grant round and the AMP it up! Video Challenge will build on previous AMP it up! efforts to educate everyone about the opportunities in the Massachusetts advanced manufacturing industry and the increasing need for skilled workers to fill these high-paying jobs.”

The community-based programs that are receiving the awards include student internships, tours of advanced manufacturing companies, career awareness workshops, teacher and guidance counselor information sessions and externships with manufacturers, and other planned activities. The AMP it up! campaign highlights the exciting, technology-driven, high-paying career options in manufacturing, dispels outdated misconceptions about the industry, and bolsters the prospective employee base for these quality jobs with Massachusetts companies. The fourth round of grants builds on the successes of the campaign’s first, second, and third years.

“North Central Massachusetts boasts the largest concentration of manufacturing in the state. One out of every five people employed in the region has a job in manufacturing. This AMP it up! award will be a great help to us in our ongoing efforts to support and grow this critical industry for the region,” said Roy Nascimento, president of the North Central Massachusetts Development Corporation.

North Central Massachusetts Economic Development Council, Fitchburg*** – $10,000
In partnership with Mount Wachusett Community College (MWCC), Manufacturing Roundtable of North Central Massachusetts, and Fitchburg Public School System
These partners will provide tours of manufacturing companies to district superintendents, career counselors, and students to increase awareness of potential manufacturing careers. The partnership will also host roundtables for superintendents and business leaders to discuss and collaborate on educational issues, along with exploring creation of a teacher externship program.

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MassDevelopment, the state’s finance and development agency, works with businesses, nonprofits, financial institutions, and communities to stimulate economic growth across the Commonwealth. During FY2015, MassDevelopment financed or managed 294 projects generating investment of more than $2.5 billion in the Massachusetts economy. These projects are projected to create about 6,100 jobs and build or rehabilitate about 2,000 residential units.

The North Central Massachusetts Development Corporation (NCMDC) is a non-profit corporation with the mission of creating jobs and improving the economy of North Central Massachusetts. NCMDC is certified by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), and the U.S. Department of the Treasury under the Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Program. The NCMDC works in partnership with local banks, credit unions, chambers of commerce and area nonprofits to support emerging microenterprises, small businesses, and community projects with loans and business assistance.  Since 1996, the NCMDC has granted over $4,200,000 in loans to small businesses to help grow jobs and the economy in 26 communities in the North Central Massachusetts region.

For more information about the NCMDC loan programs, please call 978-353-7607.