Gov. Scott visits Swanton manufacturer to highlight workforce measures

Gov. Phil Scott characterized Vermont's lack of workers as the state's "Achilles' heel" in a news conference hosted on Tuesday by a Swanton manufacturer.

"During my first term as governor I spoke a lot about three numbers: 6-3-1," Scott said. "Each of them representing concerning trends we were facing − and this was long before the pandemic. On average, we were seeing six fewer workers in our workforce, three fewer kids in our K-12 schools, and one child born to addiction, every single day."

Scott said any employer in the state will agree that finding people to fill jobs they have available is a challenge. He said his administration has invested both state and federal money in infrastructure to support more housing, broadband and childcare to "support workers and give them reasons to come here."

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"But we also need workforce training and development programs, which is why we're here today," Scott said.

Scott cited a bill he signed into law on June 8 that invests $84.5 million of both state and federal funding in measures to support workforce training. The law includes $3 million for on-the-job training and $3 million in scholarships for certification programs tied to jobs in high demand in Vermont. It also includes $3 million to continue paying move expenses for workers recruited to move to Vermont, and $10 million to address healthcare workforce shortages through grants, loan forgiveness and other incentives.

Vermont Precision Tools held a job fair on June 7-8 to try to fill a dozen jobs paying from $18 to $30 per hour. Chief Executive Officer Monica Green said her company is looking for CNC operators as well as people to fill some support warehouse positions.

CNC, or computer numerical control, tools are used for the precise machining required by VPT's clients, which include major medical device manufacturers as well as automotive and aerospace companies, both nationally and internationally.

Contact Dan D’Ambrosio at 802-660-1841 or ddambrosio@freepressmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @DanDambrosioVT. This coverage is only possible with support from our readers.

This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Gov. Scott touts workforce measures in visit to Swanton manufacturer