Over the next year, all of the employees in Passero Associates ' New York office will benefit from one or more training courses in areas such as AutoCAD, technical writing, project management, office technology and leadership excellence. The training, which is being funded by a BUSINYS 32-I grant, will strengthen the company's business performance and service delivery.

A provider of planning, engineering and architectural services, Passero Associates is committed to the professional development of its workforce. "We view the training funded by this grant as a strategic opportunity to invest in our people," says Kim Kulik, Director of Internal Operations.

To apply for the grant, the company went to Director Connie Felder and Business Services Manager Claudia Gately at RochesterWorks! for help. After attending an information session, Ms. Kulik looked to Felder and Gately for guidance in completing the grant application. "Both are very knowledgeable about the grant application process and are very responsive," says Ms. Kulik. "RochesterWorks! was able to take what started out to be an intimidating grant application process and make it understandable and achievable."

Passero applied for a $97,716 grant in early August 2004. After providing some additional information to support the application in October, the company received final contract approval in January 2005 and began training immediately.

"The grant has been such a positive experience for Passero," says Ms. Kulik. "We applied for 18 different training courses that will have a direct benefit to every department and individual in our company."

Feedback on training already completed has been very positive. One first-year engineer commented, "I've been able to immediately apply what I've learned and to collaborate and interact with other departments more effectively because of the training."

Ms. Kulik adds, "The outcomes have been better than we hoped for! Our people have already been able to apply new skills and information learned to their positions, and this directly benefits our company and the clients we serve."