BARRY CALLEBAUT GETS TRAINING PROGRAM GRANT FROM STATE
Governor Phil Scott and the Agency of Commerce and Community Development today announced that Barry Callebaut U.S.A. LLC has received a workforce development grant of $204,266.40 through Department of Economic Development’s (DED) Vermont Training Program (VTP). The St. Albans facility is a key part of Barry Callebaut’s global organization, which is one of the world’s leading chocolate manufacturers.
“As we work to grow our economy, the Vermont Training Program is an important resource to help increase productivity and further equip Vermont’s workforce with tools to help them succeed,” said Governor Phil Scott. “This grant will go a long way to help the workforce of one of Franklin County’s largest employers.”
The St. Albans facility offers a variety of products to their industrial customers from chocolate chips, chunks, flakes and liquid, as well as retail and gourmet products. Barry Callebaut has been located in St. Albans since 1983, an expansion of their Canadian operations at the time, and continues to invest in the facility and their significant Franklin County workforce.
“The partnership between DED and Vermont Manufacturing Extension Center (VMEC) helps allow manufacturers such as Barry Callebaut to streamline their operations and continue to grow in Vermont,” said DED Commissioner Joan Goldstein. “This grant is also a great example of how Vermont can be a welcoming place to Canadian businesses looking to grow while utilizing and training the state’s talented workforce.”
The VTP grant will be used to help with On-the-Job Training (OJT) to over 50 employees and new hires. This grant will also be used for a 17-week training program with VMEC on Lean Management Systems, Lean 101, Structured Problem Solving and 5s.
“We are thrilled to be working with the State of Vermont to support our training efforts at Barry Callebaut. As we’ve had significant growth over the past two years with five new production lines and the addition of 65+ new employees, this could not come at a better time for us,” said Site Manager Jerry Dukas. “This grant will make it possible for us to not only train our new employees, but also our existing employees to raise the skill sets and keep good paying jobs in Vermont.”
“Barry Callebaut is one of Franklin County’s largest private employers and throughout their 40-year presence in the county they have made substantial capital investments and grown the number of quality jobs,” said Franklin County Industrial Development Corporation Executive Director Tim Smith. “Franklin County is very fortunate to have a company of this stature in our region. The VTP grant will allow for a significant amount of training for new hires and incumbent employees and, in turn, strengthen the local and state economy.”
