Blue Star, WCC partner on training plan

THE SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA SUN NEWSPAPER AND NEWS WEBSITE

Wytheville Community College is offering a new Industrial Maintenance training program to help students find work at Blue Star NBR’s new facility in Wytheville.

Blue Star NBR’s new facility is projected to be commissioned next spring, with hiring for industrial maintenance positions to begin early in 2023, just prior to the facility’s startup. WCC ‘s curriculum puts students in a hands-on work lab where skilled instructors with manufacturing expertise create a production environment to train students in the application of their newly gained maintenance skills.

Students completing the program will be given priority in Blue Star NBR’s hiring process for new Industrial Maintenance roles.

“We are excited to have Blue Star coming to Wytheville. Our training program is designed to meet the needs of Blue Star as they develop their workforce. We have made a major investment into equipment and space renovation to make this program possible. Our goal is to prepare the workforce of today for the jobs of tomorrow,” Perry Hughes, Vice President for Workforce and Occupational Programs, Wytheville Community College.

The FastForward training will focus on four major areas: electrical, mechanical, fluid power, and automation. WCC plans to offer both day and evening cohorts. The program will start in the Fall of 2022 and could provide financial assistance for those who qualify.

Blue Star NBR will need to hire nearly 2,500 people for its new Wytheville facility, and at all levels. “Blue Star NBR is committed to interviewing individuals who complete this, or a similar program, as we build out our operation with a skilled workforce. Whether individuals come to work for Blue Star NBR or another great regional employer, we are proud to be associated with this program and what it can do for the residents of Wytheville and surrounding communities. We’re bringing new technologies and a renewed manufacturing presence here in the U.S., and specifically here in Virginia. This represents the best of all possibilities,” Scott Maier, CEO, Blue Star NBR.

The company ensures team members will have the tools and resources they need to be successful by providing job training and career growth opportunities, competitive pay, comprehensive benefits, and other perks in a safe, highly-systemized workplace, and all within Blue Star NBR’s brand new facility.

To learn more about the Industrial Maintenance Program and future Blue Star openings, please visit: www.bluestarcareers.com. Click “Get Qualified” to learn more about the program, or to enroll directly, contact Vicki Marrs at (276) 223-4717 or via email at [email protected].