SUNY Cobleskill to develop workforce initiatives
COBLESKILL, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- SUNY Cobleskill will be using $2.7 million to expand existing workforce development initiatives. This funding is coming from the Mohawk Valley's $10 million Regional Economic Development Council Challenge Competition award that was part of Governor Kathy Hochul's annual REDC awards program.
SUNY Cobleskill's main focus with their portion of the award will be to expand both agribusiness micro-credentialing through its Institute of Rural Vitality and the Project SEARCH program through a partnership with The Arc Lexington. The Mohawk Valley REDC wants to focus on eliminating barriers to employment as well as meeting the growing demand for agribusiness and STEM-intensive industries within the region.
The Institute of Rural Vitality aims to boost its farm, food business and entrepreneur micro-credential program to reach a wider audience. The program compresses course schedules and makes credentialing affordable and fast to prioritize accessibility. With this new funding, they will be able to credential 240 people at no cost.
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Project SEARCH is a program that SUNY Cobleskill partnered with The Arc Lexington and ACCES-Vocational Rehabilitation to create an innovative, business-driven transition program for young adults with disabilities to help develop job and social skills necessary for competitive employment. Through the funding, The Lexington Arc, SUNY Cobleskill and Herkimer College will be upscaling this program to seven other higher education institutions as well as industry partners.
Dr. Marion Terenzio, President of SUNY Cobleskill and Co-Chair of the Mohawk Valley REDC, said, “Our plan is all about empowering people, according to their unique abilities, to participate in our communities. It’s about really seeing people, understanding their struggles, drawing upon their passions, and illuminating their path. Our educational community, industry partners, and government and non-profit leaders have demonstrated capacity, positive results, and the ability to scale key catalyst initiatives across the region to address these elemental needs, and this funding from New York State is both a recognition and endorsement of the Mohawk Valley’s true potential.”