Navajo Technical University and Chippewa Sustainable Solutions Inc. secured $9.5 million in Small Business Administration awards to train manufacturing workers and help small businesses compete for government contracts.
The funding will support free in-person courses, workshops and individual advising for manufacturers eligible for the SBA’s 8(a) and HUBZone programs, according to an agency announcement. Training will cover workforce skills, operations, regulatory compliance and contracting.
Navajo Tech received $4.54 million to expand a manufacturing initiative serving the Navajo Nation and nearby tribal communities in New Mexico, Arizona and Utah. The university plans to expand an existing mentor-protégé program between its Center for Manufacturing and Ridgeline Manufacturing and Engineering Inc.
The initiative aims to develop a network of tribal small manufacturers and train workers to fill jobs in their communities.
Chippewa Sustainable Solutions received $5 million for advanced additive manufacturing and friction stir welding training in Belcourt, North Dakota. The program will serve small manufacturers supplying aerospace, defense, energy, construction and related industries.
Chippewa plans to collaborate with the University of North Dakota, Turtle Mountain Community College and the Center for Technology Commercialization on hands-on training, prototype demonstrations and production improvements.
The awards come through the SBA’s Manufacturing in America Empower to Grow program, which provides business training and technical assistance.
