ASHLAND, Mass. — Kidde Fire Systems received a workforce training grant from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to help train workers at its Ashland manufacturing facility. The $67,200 grant, will help Kidde Fire Systems train employees, primarily engineers, technicians, and machinists, on new and revised industry standards.

“This grant will help us train and invest in our workforce,” said Seun Oluwole, senior quality manager, Kidde Fire Systems. “With a subset of our employees on the verge of retirement, the grant enables Kidde Fire Systems to train members of its workforce and fill the knowledge gap to ensure business continuity.”

The Ashland facility employs roughly 300 people. Kidde Fire Systems designs and manufactures commercial fire suppression systems for special hazard applications, and the company’s solutions are used in a variety of industries, including data centers, manufacturing, power generation, commercial cooking, marine, and cultural and heritage sites.

The grant Kidde Fire Systems has received is part of a $10 million state grant awarded to 133 companies from across the Commonwealth that will train more than 6,500 workers and add an expected 1,361 new jobs by 2021. The grants will fund customized training that promotes job growth, retention and increased opportunity for workers, according to a statement from the Commonwealth’s Baker-Polito Administration. Upskilling the local workforce helps Massachusetts firms and entrepreneurs grow their businesses, become more productive and fuel a strong and resilient Bay State economy.

The project is funded by a Workforce Training Fund grant from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development. The grant program is administered by Commonwealth Corp.