Regional NetWorks

The Regional Employment Board of Hampden County, Inc., in concert with the Western Massachusetts Chapter of the National Tooling and Machining Association and other industry leaders, has received funding from the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, John Adams Innovation Institute for an 18 month project called Regional NetWorks (RENEW).

RENEW is working to implement the following goals:

1. Building Capacity for training the workforce, both upgrade and replacement, with particular focus on linking training providers with industry needs, and securing alternate resources for co-investment in training.

2. Connecting Education/Workforce Development and Industry to develop a coordinated regional workforce development system that responds to the changing technological demands of the industry by creating a sustainable pipeline of future workers in the high technology precision machining cluster.

3. Increasing Communication and Connectibility that will facilitate access and communication for members of the regional precision machining companies.

4. Increasing Industry Coherence and Market Share which will create true cluster development that will allow for cluster-wide innovation and expansion resulting in increased market share on the regional, national and international levels.

5. Developing Strategic Economic Alliances that will create a collaborative approach to planning, decision making and project design and implementation.

For further information on Regional NetWorks (RENEW), please contact:
David M. Cruise at (413) 755-1362, dcruise@rebhc.org