Sen. Richard Blumenthal and the president of Bristol manufacturer Arthur G. Russell Co. touted possible public/private partnerships in manufacturing training programs at an event supporting the federal Endless Frontier bill. The bipartisan bill currently in the U.S. Senate would, among other features, quadruple funding for the federal Manufacturing Extension Partnership, a public-private partnership focused on helping small and medium-sized manufacturers increase their competitiveness on the global stage. If passed, the MEP would receive $2.4 billion in funding from the 2022 fiscal year -- which begins July 1 -- to fiscal 2026. That's in addition to $52 billion for research and development in making U.S. manufacturing more competitive globally and $10 billion to create regional technology research hubs.