From Assembly Line to Supervisor, with Help from Workforce Development

The Workforce Solutions Collaborative of Metro Hartford passed along this success story:

If not for her impacted wisdom teeth, who knows where Danielle George would be today.

Her part-time jobs did not provide health insurance and Danielle knew she couldn’t pay for surgery out of pocket. So, through a staffing agency, she found an entry level job at Peter Paul Electronics, a manufacturer in New Britain.

Fast forward six years, and this former waitress with no previous manufacturing experience is now a supply chain specialist with a staff of four. Danielle has grown within the company and increased her wages by 70 percent, thanks in part to Lean Leadership, a leadership development program supported by the Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology’s ADVANCE Training Grant Program through Workforce Solutions Collaborative of Metro Hartford.

Through the Lean Leadership program, Danielle participates in at least six weeks of intense training per year, and she now trains others in lean, efficient practices. Danielle said the training has helped her grow professionally and personally.

“I think taking the class got me into the position I am in today,” she said. “It’s helped me advance through the company.”

Danielle is also pursuing a bachelor’s degree, something she and Human Resource Manager Judi Spreda said she might not have done if not for the training she has received at Peter Paul.