McCann Manufacturing Students Tour Pittsfield's Starbase Technologies

By Andy McKeeveriBerkshires Staff
Print Story | Email Story

Starbase owner Burton Francis showed the students around the shop, explaining what the company does.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — McCann Technical School students have gotten a glimpse into their own futures.
 
Students in McCann's manufacturing programs on Wednesday toured Pittsfield's Starbase Technologies, where they saw the same technology they learn on at school being used on a commercial scale.
 
"It is important for the students to see what they are learning in the shop looks like in a real world setting," said Principal Justin Kratz.
 
"In addition to that, it is important for them to see that these opportunities exist in Berkshire County. What they are learning at McCann can be used in careers right here in Berkshire County."
 
The trip is one small part of the state's push to increase manufacturing. Mass Development granted Berkshire Community College funds to promote the manufacturing field through the AMP It Up program.
 
BCC also sponsored Taconic students on a trip to Interprint. BCC has received $18,000 from the program over the last two years to promote manufacturing.
 
"We were able to use AMP It Up funds to pay for transportation and we have some take away items for the students. The Amp It Up grant is issued through Mass Development to promote manufacturing as a viable career pathway for young people," said Denise Johns, BCC's director of corporate training. 
 
Starbase owner Burton Francis, who founded the molding company 26 years ago, said he has noticed a turnaround in the level of interest in manufacturing. Very few people wanted to go into the field just a few years ago.
 
Leading the student through the shop, Francis hopes the students see that manufacturing isn't like it used to be.
 
"This is much cleaner, more technical than your typical machine shop. With that approach, I think a lot more people will give it a try," Francis said.
 
The company specializes in making molds for such things as pens and laundry detergent caps to even airplane parts. The work requires a certain set of skills and Francis said experience means a lot.
 
"McCann Tech does a phenomenal job in introducing the people to the knowledge necessary to build machine parts. With that, it makes it a lot easier to bring kids in and have them get on a fast track," Francis said.
 
That is what BCC too is hoping to give prospective students. BCC's corporate training and workforce development tries to keep a close relationship with area employers so they can customize their classes to fit those needs. 
 
Johns said through groups like the Berkshire Applied Technology Council, the school can boost their programming. Many of the employees at Starbase had gone through BCC's manufacturing tech program, Johns said.
 
McCann too has an advisory committee and connections with local businesses to help build the workforce of tomorrow.
 
"There is a ton of potential," Kratz said.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Pittsfield CPA Committee Funds Half of FY24 Requests

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A few projects are not getting funded by the Community Preservation Committee because of a tight budget.

The projects not making the cut were in the historic preservation and open space and recreation categories and though they were seen as interesting and valuable projects, the urgency was not prevalent enough for this cycle.

"It's a tough year," Chair Danielle Steinmann said.

The panel made its recommendations on Monday after several meetings of presentations from applications. They will advance to the City Council for final approval.  

Two cemetery projects were scored low by the committee and not funded: A $9,500 request from the city for fencing at the West Part Cemetery as outlined in a preservation plan created in 2021 and a $39,500 request from the St. Joseph Cemetery Commission for tombstone restorations.

"I feel personally that they could be pushed back a year," Elizabeth Herland said. "And I think they're both good projects but they don't have the urgency."

It was also decided that George B. Crane Memorial Center's $73,465 application for the creation of a recreational space would not be funded. Herland said the main reason she scored the project low was because it didn't appear to benefit the larger community as much as other projects do.

There was conversation about not funding The Christian Center's $34,100 request for heating system repairs but the committee ended up voting to give it $21,341 when monies were left over.

The total funding request was more than $1.6 million for FY24 and with a budget of $808,547, only about half could be funded. The panel allocated all of the available monies, breaking down into $107,206 for open space and recreation, $276,341 for historic preservation, and $425,000 for community housing.

View Full Story

More Pittsfield Stories