LONDONDERRY — Stonyfield Farm has received a $100,000 training grant that will help some of its 375 employees meet career goals.
The money comes from the New Hampshire Job Fund. Gov. John Lynch was scheduled to stop by the yogurt plant last week, but had to postpone his visit due to the widespread flooding.
"This grant supplements what Stonyfield already has in place for employee training," company spokeswoman Sarah Badger said. "We applied for the grant so that some employees could take English as A Second Language courses, but the money is also used for other training programs such as safety committee and computer skills."
Stonyfield employs 375 New Hampshire-based employees; 33 of them are taking part in the job training programs.
Badger said 15 percent of the employees are of Hispanic background and a few others come from other countries, including France, Canada and Hungary.
"For some, English is their second language and while they can speak it well enough, the courses help with proficiency in reading and writing," Badger said. "This will help employees to achieve career goals.
Most courses are held off site at Manchester Community College. Some employees are able to take them during work time. Other educational providers are used for courses in project management, food safety, management leadership and Web development.
The New Hampshire Job Fund is committed to bettering the state's employees and companies make matching donations. Stonyfield has met this grant with $145,050.
Lynch's visit will be rescheduled in the near future.
