New workforce training help for businesses

With the high demand for a workforce with the right skills to meet business needs, a White Plains firm has been tapped by the Westchester-Putnam Workforce Investment Board (WPWIB) to manage the employment and training needs of area businesses and help them obtain grant money.

Westchester County Executive Robert P. Astorino said Hospitality Resource Group Inc. will work separately with the health care, manufacturing, green jobs, life sciences, business services and hospitality sectors. The firm will be paid $42,500 for the year with a two-year contract renewal option.

More than 1,000 Westchester residents have received specialized training in WPWIB programs and businesses in the county have received more than $640,000 in state and federal aid to offset the costs of employee training.

Hospitality Resource Group will help businesses access available government funding to help them train new and current workers. The WPWIB may also subsidize some of the job-training costs.