National Clothesline

In New York, a new generation of drycleaners are learning the skills they need to contribute to the industry.

The Neighborhood Cleaners Association has launched a new program funded by the Human Recourse Administration.

The program teaches young adults from New York City all of the drycleaning skills they need to start working in the industry in order to support their families. Instructors include Ann Hargrove, Alan Spielvogel and Carlos Crespe — all from NCA’s staff. They will be joined by former NYC high school teacher Ed Roth, owner of UN Cleaners in Queens, NY.

For three weeks of each month, those NCA instructors will teach approximately 15 adults to perform various tasks around a drycleaning plant. After students have completed the intensive three-week course, they will be placed in drycleaning stores for another ten-week period where they will spend three days a week at the store and return to NCA for additional training two days a week.

The plant owner who employs the student will pay for the apprenticeship with the hope that they will land a permanent employee on their staff.

Anyone interested in sponsoring an apprenticeship of a student in the program should contact Ed Roth at (212) 967-3002, ext. 229.

Hercules Machinery Inc. will sponsor an open house on Sunday, Dec. 15 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

In addition to working equipment from Columbia/ILSA, Unipress, Fulton Boiler and White Conveyor, there will be food and drink along with special guests.

The open house will be at 231 Edison Ave., West Babylon, NY. For more information, call (516) 889-0088.

Several comprehensive two-day workshops on “The Essentials of OSHA Compliance 2002” have been scheduled for the early part of 2003 by National Seminars Group.

Attendees of the workshops will gain a better understanding of workplace safety issues and learn the latest updates on regulations issued from the Occupational Safety and Hazard Administration.

The program’s agenda will being with a discussion on “OSHA Compliance Basics,” which will help employers understand their rights and responsibilities of themselves, as well as their employees.

Attendees will also learn how to prevent several common hazards that result in safety violations and how to properly comply with OSHA’s stringent training requirements.

Guidelines for keeping safety records, as well as how to prepare for a site inspection will also be covered. On the final day of the program, there will be a presentation on “Preventing Workplace Violence,” which will underline many of the common factors that contribute to workplace violence and offer tips on defusing potentially explosive situations when tensions rise.

The workshops are scheduled to start on the following dates and locations in 2003: Jan. 23 at the Holiday Inn on 700 Elm St. in Manchester, NH; Jan. 28 at the Holiday Inn Martinique on Broadway in New York, NY; Jan. 30 at the Marriott Hotel at 1350 Old Walt Whitman Rd. in Melville, NY; and on Feb. 4 at 10 Eyck Plaza in Albany, NY.

Cost for each program is $395 per person. If three members from the same organization enroll together, a fourth member may attend free. The workshop hours will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. with registration beginning at 8:30 a.m. on the first day.

For more information on the workshops, visit the web site for National Seminars Group at www.natsem.com or call (800) 258-7246.