A New England Institute of Technology program aligns workers who lost jobs with manufacturers that have them — including Electric Boat. A Drexel University study found that graduates of the program over a period of two years were “substantially more likely to be employed [particularly welders] and that their earnings were sharply higher relative to the matched comparison group.” Kate Bramson Journal Staff Writer journalkate Tiverton resident Hannah Cook-Dumas, now 20, grew up learning welding from her father, but she went to Bristol Community College to earn a degree in early childhood education. East Providence resident Ronald Pelletier, now 45, was glad his school days were over when he graduated from Barrington High School nearly 26 years ago. With hindsight, he has a quick answer for why he didn’t pursue more education then: “I was smarter than my Dad. I decided I was going to work. Typical stupid kid stuff.” Last year, Cook-Dumas and Pelletier both landed jobs — with opportunities to advance — in Rhode Island’s manufacturing industry. They embarked on their new careers by enrolling in a program that the after completing a program that the New England Institute of Technology launched in late 2013. The college’s Shipbuilding/Marine Advanced Manufacturing Institute trains unemployed Rhode Islanders for welding and machine-programming jobs. After Cook-Dumas decided she didn’t want to be a teacher, she interned with a Portsmouth welder who encouraged her to apply for a job at General Dynamics Electric Boat. She’s now a welder at the company’s plant at…more detail
