Bern Optics is among 28 Massachusetts businesses to receive training funds approved by the Patrick Administration.
Gov. Deval Patrick announced last week that $2.1 million in Workforce Training Fund grants were awarded to Massachusetts companies.
The grants, which support up to two years of training, will create over 200 new jobs and train nearly 3,000 workers.
“We are focused on addressing the skills gap issue in the Commonwealth so that workers can compete in today’s ever-changing jobs market,” said Governor Deval Patrick. “The Workforce Training Fund focuses on the needs of both our businesses and workers, as Massachusetts continues to lead the nation in economic recovery.”
Bern Optics owner Bernd Gottschalk said the $82,500 awarded to his company, located at 579 Southampton Road, will help train the company’s 46 employees.
“All will experience lean manufacturing training over the next two years,” said Gottschalk, adding that the Workforce Training Funds are in the form of a matching grant. “For every dollar they give, I will spend a dollar.”
Gottschalk said lean manufacturing training will improve workplace efficiency.
“It’s a system of continuous improvement,” he said. ‘We will learn the tools and principals needed to become more efficient.”
Gottschalk founded Bern Optics in 1989 with his father Heinz. Although Heinz Gottschalk died in 2007, at one time there was three generations of Gottschalks at Bern Optics. Today, Gottschalk runs the company with help from his two daughters.
Bern Optics is fully integrated to convert raw glass into high precision, exotically coated optical components, from prototype to volume production. Its special expertise enables the company to produce unique submillimeter optical components ground and polished to dimensions as small as 0.20 mm. As one of the premier independent manufacturers of precision optics, Bern Optics has consistently remained in the forefront of micro-optics fabrication, said Gottschalk, who learned the trade from his father.
‘There are very few schools that teach what we do,” he said. “Most training is on the job. My father began doing this in 1947 and taught me.”
Gottschalk said the work performed at Bern Optics is very skilled hand work that requires a steady hand. Some employees have been with the company nearly 20 years.
While many manufacturing companies are facing an aging workforce, Gottschalk said his employees range in age from early 20s to past retirement age.
The skilled optician is the key to success in the optics industry, assuring efficient production and consistently high quality. Years of highly targeted employee recruitment have brought together an impressive group of technicians thoroughly skilled in all areas of the optical trade. In addition to its polishing staff, Bern Optics employs specialists in glass forming, hand grinding, hand polishing, inspection and assembly. Highly competent through years of training and experience, these individuals take pride in their ability to produce optical elements that meet and even exceed customer quality requirements.
The grant recipient companies are located in 23 towns across the Commonwealth, and employee trainings will cut across a variety of sectors helping engineers, lean manufacturing, suppliers, trades, and food services.
“The Workforce Training Fund continues to provide Massachusetts companies with the right resources to train employees and build a stronger and more effective workforce,” said Lt. Gov. Timothy Murray. “The program is another tool in the toolbox for businesses, and we look forward to seeing this funding support new jobs, increased work capacity, and business growth in regions across the Commonwealth.”
“We are committed to providing training to new and incumbent workers so that they develop the skill sets and expertise necessary for sustainable jobs that are in demand by Massachusetts employers,” said Joanne F. Goldstein, Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development. “We welcome future applications from employers who recognize the value of training, at all levels, and propose training programs that enhance their business and upgrade the Massachusetts workforce.”
The fiscal year 2012 budget established the Workforce Training Fund as a trust fund, allowing for collection and disbursement of funds as needed by businesses, rather than on an annual appropriation cycle.
“Businesses are welcome to contact us about grant workshops held across the Commonwealth to help educate businesses about this excellent resource,” said President and CEO of the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development’s Commonwealth Corporation Nancy Snyder. “We are delighted to see consortiums applying for grants together to fill needs that help a variety of workers.”
