Good People Are the Backbone of Manufacturing Success
Rhode Island manufacturers often embrace lean manufacturing framework of continuous improvement for products and processes. Fundamental to the philosophy is “Respect for All,” which includes continuous improvement for people.
In an era when serving a single company for ten or twenty years is uncommon, you can produce highly skilled and loyal team members by committing to workforce development.
Companies rise and fall based on their ability to hire and retain good people. While there is no perfect team, if you hire intelligently and support thoroughly, you can build a legacy of success.
Providing retraining for your current employees can help retain workers and avoid a gap in skilled labor. With training, these employees can learn the skills necessary to continue and advance in their roles, while also advancing your company’s bottom line.
Lindsey Brickle
Workforce Program Manager,
Polaris MEP
Solutions To Your Challenges
Lean Manufacturing
Workforce Development
Growth & Strategy
How We Help
ON-THE-JOB TRAINING
Boost the impact of your employee development efforts with help from Polaris MEP’s “black belt” trainers.
- Lean enterprise, continuous improvement,
- quality management systems,
- succession planning, and more.
We also “train the trainers” through proven TWI Job Methods, Job Instruction, Job Relations courses.
Watch your team transform before your eyes!
RETIRING WORKFORCE
Due to the quickly approaching retirement of baby boomers, reports indicate the manufacturing sector could lose up to 40% of its skilled employees by 2024.
Polaris MEP can help you capture the knowledge of seasoned workers and leverage it to more quickly upskill younger workers. We also connect business owners to Resource specialists in succession planning to improve resilience.
DIRECT CONNECTION TO RI DLT
Polaris MEP works closely with the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training’s “Real Jobs Rhode Island” program as well as Skills for Rhode Island’s Future, among other partners.
We know which resources offer recruitment and/or grants to meet your team development needs. Polaris MEP can help your company access these programs to hire and train a more complete workforce.
PARTNERSHIPS
Polaris MEP works with a number of government, industry, and educational workforce development partners throughout the state of Rhode Island to
- hire,
- mentor,
- train, or
- retrain
- manufacturing employees.
Through us, you can support your employees from the date of their first hire through the end of their career.
ON-DEMAND TRAINING
Our new partnership with Tooling U – SME intros 4 new ways to quickly ramp up the capabilities of a new hire, or cross train/upscale current employees.
- Certified Manufacturing Associate (CMfgA),
- Machining,
- Maintenance and
- Smart Manufacturing.
Commitment to Your Team
- Get hiring, training assistance, and funding from Polaris MEP and the Rhode Island Department of Labor & Training.
- Retain your existing workforce by supporting them with training throughout their career.
- Develop programs specific to your particular hiring and retention needs.
Related
Rhode Island Manufacturers: Claim Tariff Refunds—But Stay Alert to Scams
Rhode Island Manufacturers: Claim Tariff Refunds—But Stay Alert to Scams Rhode Island’s manufacturing community—made up largely of small and mid-sized businesses—is no stranger to navigating rising costs and global trade challenges. Now, there’s a potential...
Let Polaris MEP Help You with Registered Apprenticeships
Let Polaris MEP Help You with Registered Apprenticeships In recognition of last week's National Apprenticeship Week, Polaris MEP is excited to spotlight new opportunities for manufacturers to strengthen their workforce through Registered Apprenticeships. With...
The Importance of Apprenticeships
The Importance of Apprenticeships In today’s rapidly evolving manufacturing landscape, one challenge continues to rise above the rest: the growing skills gap. As experienced workers retire and technology reshapes production floors, manufacturers are searching for...
The Fast Track program has been a blessing. Prospective workers are starting to get trained on what employers need now. That’s the key to the program’s success. I’ve got a student right now programming complex milling machines for aerospace products, and a year ago he was designing kitchen cabinets.
Chris Goodwin
Vice President, Goodwin-Bradley Company
Category: Hire & Retain Talent
Polaris MEP Releases 2025 State of Manufacturing Report for Rhode Island
The 2025 report combines multiple sources, including industry trend analysis, the Voice of Manufacturing Survey (VOMS), and insights from manufacturers, policymakers, and community leaders.
Integrated Operational Excellence
This integrated solution helps manufacturers achieve measurable and sustainable improvements in productivity, quality, and workforce effectiveness by addressing both the technical and human sides of operations.
Safety Consulting
Our safety programs are designed for small-to-medium manufacturers in Rhode Island and focus on the most common types of incidents and OSHA violations.
Nterprisers Develops New Marketplace with Polaris MEP Project Manager’s Help
Chris Cinieri, Polaris MEP Project Manager, helped Nterprisers develop their new Marketplace to help meet manufacturers’s needs.
Ascendium Education Group Awards $2.45 Million Grant to Polaris MEP
The project responds to Rhode Island’s acute manufacturing workforce shortage by strengthening the talent pipeline while opening access to high-wage, high-demand careers for individuals who have been historically excluded from opportunity.
Space: The Final Frontier for Standards
By standardizing how biological and chemical changes are measured in space, the mission supports recent U.S. policy goals to strengthen leadership in the space sector and opens the door for more reliable, data-driven innovation in areas like pharmaceuticals, climate science, and advanced materials.
Request for Proposals: Job Training & Support Services, Spring
Polaris MEP seeks proposals from training providers for job training and support services targeting adults seeking full-time, livable-wage employment in the Advanced Manufacturing, Marine Trades, and Blue Economy sectors.
Request for Proposals: Job Training & Support Services, Spring
Polaris MEP seeks proposals from training providers for job training and support services targeting adults seeking full-time, livable-wage employment in the Advanced Manufacturing, Marine Trades, and Blue Economy sectors.
Checkup Time! How Measurement Science Keeps You Healthy
NIST helps the health care system deliver safer procedures, better diagnoses and more trustworthy data for clinicians and patients alike.
Polaris Announces Rebrand to Strengthen Support for Rhode Island Manufacturers and Tech Companies
Polaris is a nonprofit dedicated to driving business growth, innovation, and job creation in Rhode Island. It is a new organization created to unify its services under a single, accessible name that signifies its role as a trusted advisor and community partner.