Worcester Business Journal

www.wbjournal.com March 28, 2016 • Worcester Business Journal 11 905 Hartford Turnpike Shrewsbury, MA 01545 508-842-1213 www.elevationee.com row but are very deep as far as intellec- tual property, as well as adaptable to the world marketplace," Gilmore said. "They can be sold less on the price or cost of it, but can be sold on what they can deliver to the purchaser." Kinefac Corp., a Worcester manufac- turer specializing in metal forming and process technology, has stayed largely immune to the shifts in the industry, said owner Leslie Gries, because of a focus on research and development and selling to international markets. Today, Kinefac is one of the last remaining precision metal tool compa- nies remaining in Massachusetts. "We were able to stay ahead by improving, processing and innovating to meet more challenging customer demands," said Gries. The future It's been said over and over again, but the number one issue manufacturers worry will inhibit their future growth is workforce development. The manufacturing workforce is aging, and companies are struggling to attract younger workers. According to MassDevelopment, the next 10 years will bring about 1.2 mil- lion job openings in the Massachusetts manufacturing sector. The median age for a worker in advanced manufacturing is 45, accord- ing to the UMass study. A lot of efforts are being made to educate high school students on what manufacturing actually is, said Veda Clark, vice president of manufacturing initiatives at MassDevelopment. "Folks don't understand that to go into manufacturing, you need all of the same skills sets beyond basic [science, technology, engineering and math requirements] – people skills, problem- solving skills. All these skills are need- ed in the industry," she said. Mount Wachusett Community College offers associate's degrees in manufacturing technology developed through collaboration with area employers. In many cases, the training certifi- cates are free for students under a state grant. The college received the Boston Foundation's 2016 Deval Patrick Award for its advanced manufacturing tech- nology programs, which the founda- tion said are flexible and address the training needs of local employers. Though there is work to be done, the QuEST Center at Quinsigamond has already made students excited about manufacturing. "You can just tell the morale of the students has been affected," said Jim Heffernan, QCC coordinator of elec- tronics and related programs. "They're really in a place that's delivering cutting edge education and technology." n year. When it comes to paying for edu- cation at a state school or community college in Massachusetts, fees far out- weigh tuition in terms of price. For example, at Mount Wachusett, tuition for fiscal year 2016 was $750, but fees were $5,350. The Massachusetts Board of Higher Education sets tuition and fees for pub- lic schools and community colleges, and fees are determined based on the amount of money appropriated to each college from the state. Fees went up 5 percent at Framingham State University between fiscal year 2015 and 2016, by 8 percent at Fitchburg State and 4 percent at Worcester State. They went up 3 per- cent at Mount Wachusett and 5 percent at QCC, according to Massachusetts Department of Higher Education. At private schools, however, tuition usually far outweighs any other cost. At Nichols, tuition makes up about 70 per- cent of the total cost of college for stu- dents who live on campus and about 99 percent for non-residents, said Boffi. The board of directors voted in January of last year to freeze tuition for the sec- ond time in four years because it wanted to show it is committed to affordability. Assumption College froze its tuition in February 2014 and has since extend- ed those savings to everyone through the class of 2020, in order to show its commitment to providing affordable college to potential students. The average tuition and fees for a nonresident in-state public university student for the 2015-2016 year came out to $9,410, according to the College Board, which tracks college costs and adjusts the numbers for inflation. In 2010, the same student paid $8,351, and the cost went up slightly each year. At a private nonprofit four-year school, tuition and fees for a non-resi- dential student rounded out to $32,405 for 2015-2016, up from $29,300 in 2010. The community college route The College Board found about 61 percent of students who earned bache- lor's degrees in the 2013-2014 school year at the same four-year college where they began their studies graduated with an average debt of $26,900, a 17-percent inflation adjusted increase over a decade. "A growing number of students are real- izing the cost benefits of beginning their undergraduate degrees at a community college, before transferring to continue on for bachelor's degrees, master's degrees, and beyond," said Lea Ann Scales, vice president of external affairs and commu- nications at Mount Wachusett. QCC has partnered with Anna Maria College in Paxton, offering degrees in fire science/emergency management, criminal justice, social work or human services for $40,000 or less, depending on a student's financial aid package. The cost of attending Anna Maria for the 2015-2016 school year, including tuition and fees but excluding room and board, is about $35,074, so the cost savings are significant, said Anna Maria President Mary Lou Retelle.. So far, about 10 Quinsigamond stu- dents have expressed serious interest in signing on to the program, Retelle said. About 10 percent of Anna Maria gradu- ates transfer in from community colleg- es, and Retelle expects that number will increase because of the partnership. "With the whole debate in higher education about affordability, I would imagine more and more students are looking for affordable options for a degree," she said. n Prism Energy Services specializes in the evaluation, design, and installation of energy efficiency measures for commercial, industrial, and municipal customers. On average, customers who work with us lower their monthly energy bills by 30%. Prism provides custom-tailored turnkey energy efficiency solutions. We will work with you and your utility company to secure incentives up to 70% on the total installation cost of your project. 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