Grant to train employees of tribal firms

A $1.6 million federal grant will provide career-path training to dozens of people who work at companies owned by the Coeur d’Alene Tribe.

The U.S. Department of Education grant will help workers at the HearthBread BakeHouse earn their GEDs, and will offer advanced math training and welding skills to employees of Berg Integrated Systems.

The five-year grant, worth about $339,000 each year, was announced Wednesday at a press conference at North Idaho College, which will provide part of the training.

The grant was awarded through the Department of Education’s Native American Career and Technical Education Program. The money will also be used for high school career counseling and other professional-technical training.

Last year, the tribe purchased majority ownership in HearthBread and Berg Integrated Systems, providing the companies with an infusion of capital to expand their operations. At HearthBread, which is based in Spokane, annual sales are expected to grow from $4 million to $8 million, said Larry Condon, the general manager. The company also anticipates expanding its work force from 65 to 125 people by 2009.

Many of the bakery’s line workers have criminal records and have never completed high school, according to Condon. Working at HearthBread is their first job. The training grant will allow bakery workers to earn the equivalent of a high school diploma and receive on-the-job training that will allow them to advance in the company.

The end goal, Condon said, is to prepare workers for “a lifetime career with benefits.”

Berg Integrated Systems, meanwhile, recently signed a contract to provide fuel bladders and shelter platforms for U.S. military operations.

The company expects to see sales shoot from $2 million to $40 million over the next year. Berg’s facility in Plummer, Idaho, is preparing to begin producing the fuel bladders by next spring.

North Idaho College is already training welders for Berg Integrated Systems, said John Dickson, Berg Integrated Systems general manager. As the company grows, it hopes to recruit and train workers from the reservation towns of Worley and Plummer, he said.