WIRED, which stands for Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development, is a federal initiative designed to energize the nation's economy through regional economic development partnerships and work-force education and training.

Press Release

West Lafayette, Ind. -- It's not easy being green - even in the business world. But employees of north-central Indiana manufacturers can help their companies become more sustainable and improve their own job skills through a training program sponsored by Indiana WIRED.

The Green Manufacturing Certificate Program will educate workers in the principles of clean manufacturing, energy conservation and waste reduction. Hourly and salaried workers who go through the training will receive certificates of completion.

The training is provided at no charge to industrial firms in the 14-county Indiana WIRED region. The first training takes place May 12-16 in West Lafayette, with another planned for Kokomo in June.

Indiana WIRED is an economic and workforce development initiative administered by Purdue University. The 14 counties include Benton, Carroll, Cass, Clinton, Fountain, Fulton, Howard, Montgomery, Miami, Tippecanoe, Tipton, Wabash, Warren and White.

Environmentally friendly, or "green," manufacturing is a growing trend, as consumers demand more products and production practices that are less harmful to the earth, said Christy Bozic, Indiana WIRED manager of business innovation.

"We want to show the positives of sustainable manufacturing," Bozic said. "For the employees who go through this training, they will be better prepared to compete in the global economy. We are innovative in that we are taking a work-force development approach to green manufacturing."

Hourly workers will receive three days of training and qualify for a general skills level certificate. Salaried workers and managers will receive the skills level training and an additional two days of instruction for a specialist level certificate.

Among the topics covered in the skills level training are environmental waste streams and receptors, managing hazardous wastes, waste minimization, using green materials in manufacturing, alternative energy sources, low-impact manufacturing processes and globalization issues involving green manufacturing. Specialist level training areas include engineering economics in green manufacturing, facility assessment, potential financial benefits and engineering green manufacturing projects, among others.

Purdue mechanical engineering technology professors Rodney Handy and Michael Whitt, Purdue civil engineering professor Loring Nies and mechanical engineering technology graduate students David Goodman and Monica Rodriguez will lead the training.

Profitability and sustainability are not exclusive terms, Handy said.

"A company can be both green and profitable," Handy said. As examples, he cited a company that runs its wastewater through a generator to produce electricity, another that recycles its metal dust into aluminum and a third that switched to biodegradable packaging.

"Most companies look at a two-year return on investment," Handy said. "They want to be more green but it has to pay off. That's where this training program can help."

It also could help Indiana's work force catch up with other states where sustainable manufacturing is more common, Whitt said. One study ranked Indiana the 49th greenest state.

"Even though the data shows Indiana is not a leader in this area, we at Purdue are excited to be playing a role in helping the state become a leader," Whitt said.

The initial training programs will form the basis for a clean manufacturing curriculum and course developed by Indiana WIRED and the Society for Manufacturing Engineers. Training materials will be made available to the public and video streamed online.

For more information or to enroll workers in the green manufacturing training program, contact Bozic at (765) 491-2200 or by e-mail at cbozic@purdue.edu.

WIRED, which stands for Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development, is a federal initiative designed to energize the nation's economy through regional economic development partnerships and work-force education and training. In 2006, the U.S. Department of Labor awarded $15 million each to 13 regions in the United States, including a grant to the Indiana Department of Workforce Development (IDWD).

The IDWD selected Purdue to oversee the Indiana WIRED project.

Source: Purdue University