The training grant was awarded to BFC for the extensive course conducted onsite by two trainers from Bauer Foundation’s parent company, BAUER Spezialtiefbau GmbH headquartered in Schrobenhausen, Germany, on the Cutter Soil Mixing, or CSM, technology and the accompanying machinery. This eliminated overseas training and additional costs for a dozen employees.
With assistance from Career Central, BFC was able to complete the process to be considered for a grant from the Employed Worker Training (EWT) program. “Career Central's Employed Worker Training program is designed to reimburse approved local businesses, such as Bauer Foundation, up to half of their eligible training costs,” said David Wright, Business Service Consultant for Career Central. “[The]…reimbursement program helped Bauer Foundation train seven of their employees on the leading edge Cutter-Soil-Mixing equipment.”
The partnership created through training and program assistance from Career Central has made BFC a success story for how local businesses and resources can come together to support and grow the local economy while delivering a product which is environmentally sound and cost effective.
“The grant Bauer Foundation received proves that the program works and that Bauer Foundation can continue to grow and lead the way in our industry,” said Charles Puccini, President and CEO of BAUER Foundation Corp. “Our company’s success with the program shows this type of funding works and has undoubtedly made our company and employees much more competitive.”
Before the training took place, BFC had only three employees who were qualified to operate the CSM rigs, which limited the number of work shifts and hindered hiring efforts for other positions. BFC now has ten employees who are CSM Operator certified. As a result, those who are certified will have the opportunity for increased wages and opportunities for advancement. In addition, for every CSM qualified employee on a shift at a job site, nine new jobs are created as the support team for the operator, ranging from supervisor to skilled labor.
As a direct result of this training grant, the company has been able to add shifts, employees, and sales. With this type of grant and the increased jobs and profits created, Puccini said that BFC fully intends on holding another CSM training session. “The whole idea behind this program is to rejuvenate the economy and stimulate the job market,” said Puccini. “This training has done that tenfold, and we plan to hold another training class early next year so we can do our part to rebuild the economy one CSM wall at a time.”
