Monroe Community College has received a $154,000 workforce development grant from the State University of New York to help three area businesses grow or retain jobs through training. MCC received the grant as part of SUNY's effort to distribute $2 million in training funds among all 30 of the state's community colleges.

MCC has designated $75,000 in training grants to Heidelberg Digital L.L.C., whose world headquarters are located in Kodak's former Elmgrove facility, $62,000 for Nalge Nunc International and $17,500 for Gleason Works.

The training MCC will provide ranges from technical, to teamwork, to supervisory training. In return for the training assistance, each company has pledged to increase or retain jobs at their respective local facilities.

Heidelberg Digital, a world leader in the design and manufacture of high-performance digital printing systems, scanning and graphic pre-press systems, expects to increase its local workforce by 267 over the next five years. Nalge Nunc International, a manufacturer of plastics and laboratory equipment, expects to add 45 jobs in 2001. Gleason Works, a precision machining manufacturing company specializing in the production of gears, expects to retain 20 jobs and improve the technical skills of 60 others to make the company more productive.