TTM Technologies, 65 others to use state funding for workforce training

“We’re about 35 people down right now, so this additional grant that we’re looking at …$99,000 … we’re going to hire 15 people right away. And those people … it may take up to two years to get them up and trained to what we do,” Mark Jarosz, general manager of the TTM aerospace defense factory in DeWitt, said.

TTM, which acquired Anaren in 2018 and is short for “time-to-market,” on Monday hosted an event to announce the funding that included New York Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul.

Besides the $99,000 state grant, the firm is getting an additional $18,000 in state funding to train existing staff members, Hochul said in her remarks at the facility on Monday.

The firm employs about 500 people in DeWitt, a figure that is part of an overall company employee count of 20,000 globally, according to Jarosz, who also provided an overview of the work that company performs as a circuit board manufacturer.

“The technology is nice. Buying new equipment is nice, but if we don’t have the people and we’re not continuing to develop the people that can make that technology, none of this gets off the ground. So that’s why [we’re] very pleased that we were able to get this grant from the state,” Jarosz said.

Besides TTM Technology, other Central New York companies securing funding in this program include D&W Diesel Inc. and WMT Precision LLC, both of Auburn; K&N’s Foods USA of Fulton; Leonardi Manufacturing Co. of Weedsport.

In the Mohawk Valley, recipients include Mountain Valley Hospice in Gloversville and Valley Health Services in Herkimer.

In the Southern Tier, recipients include Alstom SA in Hornell; Broome-Tioga BOCES; Data Bound Solutions in Ithaca; and the Raymond-Hadley Corporation in Spencer, per the news release.

New York’s Regional Economic Development Councils have a key role in recommending applications for funding, based on regional economic needs and opportunities, Cuomo’s office said.

Hochul also used her remarks to mention the Jobs Express website of the New York State Department of Labor — jobs.ny.gov.

“Believe it or not, there’s over 100,000 jobs listed on that website today. Some will take training … You talk to people in the community … Let them know [that] before they give up hope to check out that website because we need to keep our economy going,” Hochul told the gathering.