Nearly 800 existing and new employees of four area
alternative-energy companies are to receive $1.7 million in job training
assistance through the federal stimulus program, the office of Ohio Gov. Ted
Strickland announced Wednesday.
The four companies - First Solar Inc., Perrysburg Township; Buckeye Silicon
Inc., Toledo; Nextronex Energy Systems LLC, Perrysburg, and Xunlight Corp.,
Toledo - submitted proposals seeking the worker training funds last summer under
an Ohio careers program. Each was awarded grants Wednesday by the state
Department of Development .
Workers are to receive training in a variety of skills, from quality control and
LEAN manufacturing to machining and welding. The training will be conducted
either on-site, or through area universities and community colleges.
According to the state:
•First Solar, which builds thin-film solar panels at a plant in Perrysburg
Township, will receive up to $1,025,760 of the total funds to train up to 600
workers in the manufacture of photovoltaic modules.
•Buckeye Silicon will receive up to $239,000 to train up to 70 workers to
produce solar-grade crystalline polysilicon, a key ingredient in the
manufacturing of solar panels.
•Xunlight is to receive up to $229,000 of the training dollars to add skills for
85 production workers for its thin-film, flexible solar modules.
•Nextronex Energy Systems will receive $210,000 in training dollars to enhance
the job skills of 35 workers who manufacture the company's equipment for
converting energy from solar arrays to alternating current.
About a quarter of the 800 workers to receive the training will be new hires,
the department said.
The state careers program reimburses the cost of training up to $6,000 for
full-time employees, with preferential project funding to companies located in
the 44 Ohio counties impacted by the restructuring of the automotive industry.
A second round of proposals will be solicited soon for companies interested in
expanding work-force training in the advanced energy manufacturing sector,
department spokesman Katie Sabatino said.