CLIFTON FORGE – Dabney S. Lancaster Community College has joined The National Network for Pulp and Paper Technology Training.
The announcement was made this week by the National Center for Pulp and Paper Technology.
The Network is a national partnership of community colleges and industry representatives that aims to arm students with the training and experience necessary to meet the increasing demand for advanced technology workers in the pulp and paper industry.
“We are very excited to add DSLCC to our network of community colleges offering Pulp and Paper Technology training across the country. They represent an important community to the program and to the industry,” commented T.J. Murphy, executive director,
National Center for Pulp and Paper Technology.
DSLCC will be able to utilize scholarships, internships and jobs model to provide a technologically advanced workforce for the region, including MeadWestvaco’s 1,500 employee operations. The new partnership will allow DSLCC to provide improved training for new hires and incumbent workers.
“A broader curriculum will benefit and strengthen the long-standing partnership that MeadWestvaco has with DSLCC. This training will assist MWV in preparing our workforce for the future which is important to the sustainability of the mill,” said Pam Stocks, Human Resources manager at the Covington mill.
DSLCC currently offers students education and training in the skill sets fundamental to all manufacturing through the Advanced Manufacturing and Packaging Technology curriculum (AMPT). The partnership with the national center will allow DSLCC to broaden the current offering by making additional pulp and paper educational classes available.
“DSLCC is proud to join such a distinguished network of colleges in bringing the National Center’s program to our local community of employers and students,” said Dr. Richard R. Teaff, DSLCC president.
Dabney S. Lancaster Community College is a two-year public institution of higher education, one of 23 community colleges in Virginia. The college is supported by the Commonwealth of Virginia; the counties of Alleghany, Bath, Botetourt, northern portion, and Rockbridge; the cities of Buena Vista, Covington, and Lexington; and the town of Clifton Forge.
The National Network for Pulp & Paper Technology Training was created to provide the pulp and paper sector of the U.S. forest products industry with a technologically advanced workforce (TAW) by offering effective education and training. The National Network is an alliance of community colleges, universities, industry partners and the National Science Foundation offering a proven program for recruiting, training, placing, and retaining future pulp and paper workers by providing technical curriculum, continuing education, scholarships and internships.
For more information on the partnership, contact T.J. Murphy at tjmurphy@ascc.edu or 334-637-3193 or Gary Keener, DSLCC vice president of Continuing Education and Workforce Services at 863-2900 or gkeener@dslcc.edu.
Additional information can be found at: www.npt2.net or www.npt2.org