Company is awarded grant to provide manufacturing training to employees in partnership with local community college
CLOQUET, Minn., Sept. 17, 2019 -- Sappi North America, Inc., a leading producer and supplier of diversified paper and packaging products, was named a recipient of the Minnesota Dual Training Grant from the Office of Higher Education and Department of Labor and Industry for the amount of $100,000. The grant allows Sappi North America to strengthen the local workforce by providing advanced technical trainings to employees while improving functions and safety at its Cloquet, Minn. Mill.
Sappi North America has participated in the grant program six times and continues to offer the opportunity for up to 25 employees each year to join a training cohort. Through the years, this grant has provided on-site training to over a hundred employees. The trainings were developed in collaboration with Lake Superior College to create a sustainable and strategic educational program, including necessary trade-focused, tactical learning and classroom-based lessons.
"Investing in our people is one of our top priorities, and we are committed to providing valuable training and education for employees. With the help of the Minnesota Duel Training Grant and Lake Superior College, we can give employees at all levels necessary training in real-time that would otherwise not be available," said Brittany Bonk, Talent Manager, Sappi North America. "We are continuously grateful to the State for their support and for making these opportunities possible for those looking to grow their skills in the manufacturing sector."
Offered to all levels of employees in the maintenance department, the program aims to teach essential skills and grow employees' technical knowledge in the electrical and mechanical focus areas. These trainings are in place to help employees succeed in real-world settings, while offering participants the necessary education to pursue a variety of certifications. Those participating will be eligible for national certification testing after completion of this year's program.
"Sappi truly values all of their employees, which shows through their continued investments in building a skilled workforce here in Cloquet," said Loren Manty, National Conference of Firemen and Oilers (NCFO) Local 939 president and a 34-year employee at the mill. "We look forward to seeing more employees enter the training program in the next cohort, as well as continuing to support those who are going on to certify in specific trades."
To learn more about Sappi North America, please visit: www.sappi.com
About Sappi North America, Inc.
Sappi North America, Inc., headquartered in Boston, is a market leader in converting wood fiber into superior products that customers demand worldwide. The success of our four diversified businesses – high-quality Coated Graphic Papers, Dissolving Pulp, Packaging and Specialty Papers and Casting and Release Papers – is driven by strong customer relationships, best-in-class people and advantaged assets, products and services. Our high-quality Coated Graphic Papers, including McCoy, Opus, Somerset, and Flo, are the key platform for premium magazines, catalogs, books, direct mail and high-end print advertising. We are a leading manufacturer of Dissolving Pulp with our Verve brand, a sustainable fiber, which is used in a wide range of products, including textile fibers and household goods. We deliver sustainable Packaging and Specialty Papers for luxury packaging and folding carton applications with our single-ply packaging brands, Spectro and Proto, and for the food and label industries with our specialty papers, LusterPrint and LusterCote. We are also one of the world's leading suppliers of Casting and Release Papers with our Ultracast, PolyEx and Classics lines for the automotive, fashion and engineered films industries. Customers rely on Sappi for high technical, operational and market expertise; products and services delivered with consistently high quality and reliability; and, state-of-the-art and cost-competitive assets and innovative spirit.
Sappi North America is a subsidiary of Sappi Limited (JSE), a global company headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, with more than 12,000 employees and manufacturing operations on three continents in seven countries and customers in over 150 countries.
