NMTI skill trainings expand available local labor pool

With the recent enactment of U.S. Public Law 110-229, many CNMI businesses are now forced to determine the best method of addressing the transition of their existing nonresident labor pool to qualified U.S. citizens. This process is complicated by the lack of qualified U.S. citizens seeking out employment.

Recognizing this need, the Northern Marianas Trade Institute applied to be a sub-grantee for a grant from the Department of the Interior’s Office of Insular Affairs through the CNMI Department of Commerce to provide short-term skill specific trainings targeting unemployed U.S. eligible workers. The NMTI received official notification of award on Dec. 12, 2011, and immediately began working to implement the first set of courses.

Using the grant funds the NMTI was able to offer eight new short-term courses that include: barbering, medical billing/coding, agriculture, sales and marketing, entrepreneurship, life guarding, culinary arts, and hotel/hospitality. The NMTI recognized that providing the necessary skills for course participants was only half the battle. These courses will only make a difference in the lives of these course participants if they are able to use these newly attained skills to secure jobs. To address this issue the NMTI contracted with a staffing firm to provide placement assistance for all course participants.

The most recent courses to be completed are the hotel/hospitality, culinary arts, and medical billing courses, which were just completed this month. These courses were able to provide training for approximately 30 students. Among those 30 students, 10 have secured employment with the remaining candidates currently working with NMTI to secure jobs. Other successes include the life guard course, which had five participants, four of which have since secured unsubsidized full-time employment.

Participants in the medical billing course took the test for national certification on June 15, 2012, and are currently awaiting their results. A graduation ceremony will be held on July 7, 2012 at the Pacific Islands Club. These individuals have been targeted to fill the needs of the Commonwealth Health Center, which is in desperate need of filling the medical billing and coding positions it has vacant. The newly certified medical billers and coders will hold national certifications, a certification rarely held in the CNMI.

“It has always been the goal of our institution to help our participants further their career aspirations,” said NMTI president Tony Pellegrino. “The NMTI is happy that we are able to provide these trainings in addition to the other vocational trades we offer regularly. It is rewarding to see that we can help the course participants make a positive impact in their lives.”

While NMTI processes the administrative functions of the grant requirement, it has contracted many community professionals to lead and instruct the courses. This approach has allowed NMTI to secure venues and schedules that meet the needs of the students. It also allows NMTI to develop partnerships with many of the CNMI’s employers. With the additional provision that NMTI provides services to employers and newly hired NMTI participants, job placements have been successful.

For those participants who have successfully completed a skill-course, the NMTI has begun working the Bridge Project, another sub-grantee, to provide workplace readiness and etiquette skills that allows for the participant to be as polished as possible.

“I am very pleased that the Bridge Project and NMTI have been able to partner up through the grant to provide these services to the participants. We are all motivated to help the participants reach their full potential and find ways to improve their current conditions,” said Jim Arenovski, Bridge Project president.

Mark Rabauliman, the Department of Commerce point of contact for the grant, stated, “We are very pleased with the job placement success of the NMTI program. It is especially good to see that the sub-grantees have been able to find ways to leverage each other’s programs to maximize the benefits of the grant.” (Office of the Governor)