HARVARD COMMUNITY UNIT SCHOOL DISTRICT 50: City of Harvard Looking to Train Welders

By Press release submission

Jun 13, 2018

Harvard Community Unit School District 50 issued the following announcement on June 11.

The City of Harvard in partnership with the Harvard Economic Development Corp. is looking to identify 30 Harvard residents interested in becoming qualified welders. This opportunity will have a major impact on individual residents, their families, and our community.

From Mayor Michael P. Kelly:

The City of Harvard in partnership with the Harvard Economic Development Corp. (HEDC) is continuously seeking to bring new business to Harvard. The HEDC has been networking with a company for nearly 2 years which is now seeking a community in which to invest. The company is seeking to expand its manufacturing capabilities into Illinois and has chosen to invest in Harvard. There is only one BIG problem. They need a core of qualified local welders.

Qualified welders. How do we make that happen? I suspect we have some welders in Harvard, but they need dozens. So… We need to train some people and teach them the skill of welding.

The City already has an initiative to facilitate new skills training for Harvard residents. Learning a valuable skill which employers are seeking helps residents to enter a new career field that earns higher wages. In doing so, the City will partner with McHenry County College (MCC), McHenry County Workforce Network (MCWN), and Harvard Community Unit School District 50 (CUSD50).

Representatives from MCC, MCWN, HEDC, CUSD50, and the City of Harvard recently met with the company to understand the road blocks and create a plan to help bring the company to Harvard. The program details are still being worked out.

What we need right now is to identify 30 Harvard resident adults who are looking for a career change, will attend formal training for 8-12 weeks to learn to weld, gain the skill necessary to successfully pass the qualification requirements, and want to start working right away with a company would bring a factory to Harvard, that pays well, provides health insurance, 401K benefits, and yearly bonuses. Starting pay is ~$18/hour with 2nd and 3rd shift differentials.

Are there 30 residents that are interested in this program?

Contact the City of Harvard at 815-943-6468 or mayor@cityofharvard.org to learn more.

Please share with any adult you know that is ready to change or start their career!

Original source can be found here.