Raytheon, CCRI create job training program

The Community College of Rhode Island and Raytheon’s Naval Integration Center in Portsmouth are collaborating on a 12-week training program, beginning this May, to prepare job applicants for electronic assembly jobs.

Due in part to early retirement initiatives, Raytheon officials project that the company will need to fill between 20 and 30 jobs in the electronic assembly field this year alone, according to Stephen Fontes, operations manager at Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems. “We have a senior workforce here,” he says. “Because of our demographics, we foresee that with retirements, we will need to replace these employees.”

Because these are skilled jobs that require training, Raytheon has collaborated with the CCRI Division for Lifelong Learning to create a five-component program, to be taught by CCRI faculty on Tuesday and Thursday evenings at Portsmouth High School beginning in May. The Raytheon Electronic Assembly Program curriculum includes print reading, finish fabrication, mechanical construction and assembly, wire harness building and work readiness skills. To qualify for the program, students must test at ninth-grade math and reading levels.

Raytheon and the students share the cost of the tuition, with students paying a reduced fee of $285 and Raytheon picking up the remainder of the cost.

After completing the program, students will have gained the skills necessary to work as production specialists—jobs with starting salaries over $25,000 per year plus benefits. Fontes emphasizes, however, that program graduates will not be guaranteed jobs; rather, the CCRI training program will provide them the necessary skills to applying for production specialist jobs at Raytheon. Similarly, program graduates are not limited to applying for jobs at Raytheon, but may apply for electronic assembly jobs at other manufacturers.

Fontes believes the program will be a regular offering to the community, as his workforce needs change. “We’ve designed the class for a size of twelve. So, I’m going to need to run one class, and then another one right after that,” he says. Having discussed the program’s benefits with many Rhode Island companies, Fontes anticipates that other businesses with similar workforce needs will join Raytheon in hosting future CCRI training.

The CCRI Division for Lifelong Learning specializes in creating customized training for clients like Raytheon. “First, we conduct needs assessments to find out what employers need to make their people more productive and efficient,” says Director of the CCRI Training and Technology Center Suzanne D’Onofrio. “Then we design a program to give employees the entry-level skills they need to go right to work.”

For more information on the Raytheon Electronic Assembly Program, contact the CCRI Division for Lifelong Learning at (401) 294-5427 or (401) 825-2033.