Brinkman Precision Inc. received some $14,000 in Customized Training funds through RochesterWorks! to help advance careers of 31 employees.

“We were able to give those individuals committed to bettering themselves the opportunity to learn a new skill,” says Dave Leaderer, Quality Director at the local manufacturer.

Brinkman Precision, a division of Brinkman International Group Inc., has 85 employees. The precision machining operation specializes in manufacturing aerospace related product for clients across the country.

The company received the Customized grant funding in April and held two training sessions shortly afterward. The beginner session provided knowledge to those who wanted to acquire a new skill and the advanced session gave the opportunity for our current machinists to become better machinists, Leaderer says.

“Good machinists are in high demand in our region and this training helped their employees advance their career and increase their value,” says Christina Bakewicz, Business Services Coordinator at RochesterWorks!

The training helped “improve upon the capacity and efficiencies” of the company. About four vacancies on days were filled because of the training, Leaderer says.

“The reason why we did this is because of our need for skilled help. It is a difficult market and we felt it was important to enhance the workforce within,” Leaderer says. “It’s been just a good investment in our employees.”

Training also strengthened the depth of the organization by improving transferable skills and increased the pay scale for some. “It improved transferable skills not only for themselves but for the community as well,” he says.

Plus the training enabled the company to promote from within which is good for morale, he adds.

Leaderer has also been able to sharpen his own skills through several RochesterWorks! workshops. He likes the fact that they are micro workshops and do not take up all day yet they are “very beneficial to learn different things... and it is good to get off campus.”

RochesterWorks! offered extensive technical assistance to Brinkman when the company also applied for a 37-L grant and received an award of $8,240 in March 2006.