For the second year running, Star Cutter has received Going PRO Talent funds from the Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity-Workforce Development (LEO-WD) through the Michigan Works! agency. Going PRO is a competitive funding source that provides a solution to skill shortages throughout the State of Michigan. The program is designed to assist employers with training and development to retain current and newly hired employees.

For 2024, five Star Cutter locations are benefiting from this valuable award, which they will apply to a  range of training curriculums. The facilities include H.B. Carbide (Lewiston), Ossineke Industries (Ossineke), Tawas Tool Company (Tawas City), Elk Rapids Engineering (Elk Rapids), and Northern Tool (Farmington Hills). These facilities will be offered instruction appropriate for both shop floor and front office processes from safety to ISO training to Lean Manufacturing, such as:

• Project Management
• Supervisory skills
• GD & T Fundamentals and Comprehensive ISO-9001: Internal Auditing
• 8D Problem Solving
• Intro to Collaborative Robots
• Safety Training
• Bluer Print Reading
• Tool Set-Up Reduction
• Total Production Maintenance/Quick Changeover 5 S Applications
• Mistake Proofing
• Lean Manufacturing

The curriculum is offered through the Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center (MMTC), as well as nearby community colleges.

“We are thrilled to again be able to make use of these valuable training programs, thanks to the Going PRO funds”, said Lindsey Bielby, human resources manager. “As we are a company that strongly believes in continuous improvement with associates constantly interested in gaining new skill sets, we will make use of all the resources provided”, continued Bielby.

In addition to the training being provided through the Going PRO funding, Star Cutter runs apprentice programs and ongoing training for its employees.