Tyson Fresh Meats, the beef and pork subsidiary of Tyson Foods, Inc., has announced the donation of fully-equipped mechanical and hydraulic benches to Iowa Central Community College to support industrial maintenance training in their high school career academies.

The donation is part of the company’s efforts to increase the availability of training for skilled maintenance and refrigeration workers by supporting automation, industrial maintenance, ammonia refrigeration and robotics programs.

In Iowa, this has included contributions since 2016 of more than $650,000 in equipment and funding to Muscatine Community College, Iowa Western Community College, Western Iowa Tech College, Eastern Iowa Community College, Des Moines Area Community College and Iowa Central.

“Our company and other manufacturers with operations in Iowa have a tremendous need for more workers with strong vocational skills,” said Steve Stouffer, group president, Tyson Fresh Meats. “We value the partnerships we’ve developed with Iowa Central to help meet this need through new and improved training programs.”

The donation of the equipment was made to Iowa Central as part of the Tyson 1+2 Maintenance Training program. The program provides the opportunity to work full-time at a Tyson facility while pursuing a certificate in industrial maintenance technology. The nine-month program involves students attending classes in the morning and working at Tyson in the afternoon.

“Iowa Central is committed to meeting the needs of providing a skilled workforce through training initiatives,” said Dr. Dan Kinney, president of Iowa Central. “Partnerships with innovative companies such as Tyson Fresh Meats continue to provide great opportunities to the businesses, employees and communities we serve.”