SCHUMER ANNOUNCES $6 MILLION FED WORKFORCE TRAINING GRANT FOR MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION OF CNY TO EXPAND REGISTERED APPRENTICESHIPS IN SEMICONDUCTOR & TECH INDUSTRY FOR GOOD-PAYING JOBS AT MICRON & OTHER IN-DEMAND MANUFACTURING EMPLOYERS IN CNY, THE MOHAWK VALLEY & ACROSS NYS
Senator Lands Major Fed Grant For The Manufacturers Association of CNY To Lead Training Expansion Across The State To Train Workers In The Skills They Need For High-Paying Jobs In Upstate NY’s Booming Chip & Tech Industry
New NY-RAMP Will Help 800+ Workers Enter Registered Apprenticeships, One Of The Most Effective Training Programs, So They Can Get Jobs At Companies Like Micron, Wolfspeed, GlobalFoundries, Indium, And Other Major Advanced Manufacturing & Chip Companies Across The State
Schumer: Fed $$$ Will Train The Next Generation Of Workers To Build America’s Future In Upstate NY
Following his advocacy, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer today announced a major $6 million federal investment by the U.S. Department of Labor for the Manufacturers Association of Central New York (MACNY) to expand Registered Apprenticeships for advanced manufacturing, including the semiconductor industry, to get workers the skills they need for these highly in-demand, good-paying jobs.
Schumer, who both encouraged them to apply and advocated for MACNY’s proposal for this federal grant, said this new program is expected to help 800+ workers get the training they need to begin careers at major employers like Micron, Wolfspeed, Indium, and others manufacturers in Central NY, the Mohawk Valley, and across New York, to boost building the future of America’s advanced manufacturing workforce.
“This major $6 million federal award to the Manufacturers Association of Central New York will train the next generation of workers across New York for Micron, Wolfspeed, & other major employers, which are booming thanks to my CHIPS & Science Law. Registered Apprenticeships are the cream of the crop when it comes to workforce training: a direct pipeline to good-paying jobs giving workers the experience and in-demand skills they need for a career that can last them a lifetime,” said Senator Schumer. “With federal investments like this, we are meeting this historic moment for Upstate NY, where we are bringing manufacturing back to the state and making Upstate a global center for the semiconductor industry. We are making sure it will be New Yorkers – from Syracuse, Utica, Rome, and communities across NYS – who fill the jobs building America’s future. This federal investment in high quality hands on training is how we can attract new suppliers to the region by showing our workforce is better prepared than anywhere else to help their factory hit the ground running.”
"The New York Registered Apprenticeship Hub - Registered Apprenticeship Manufacturing Partnerships (NY-RAMP) will allow manufacturers from across the state to provide career pathways in high-need areas to individuals from all backgrounds”, said Randy Wolken, President & CEO, of MACNY - The Manufacturers Association. “This will foster growth across all manufacturing sectors - new companies relocating to New York in emerging fields like semiconductor and nanotechnology, biotechnology, and clean energy and legacy manufacturers who have been the backbone our economy for generations. This effort is only possible because of the strength of federal and state officials, our Manufacturing Alliance of New York partners, and the nearly 100 industrial, academic, and community partners who support this program. We especially want to recognize the continued advocacy of Senator Schumer to strengthen American manufacturing and the workforce needed to meet New York's manufacturing moment.”
Schumer explained that with this major investment, MACNY plans to expand their programs in a new effort called the New York Registered Apprenticeship Manufacturing Partnerships (NY-RAMP) program, with a focus on expanding and scaling MACNY’s successful programming in Central NY and the Mohawk Valley across NYS. Building on MACNY’s highly-successful Manufacturers Intermediary Apprenticeship Program (MIAP), NY-RAMP will expand MIAP efforts to promote equitable access to registered apprenticeship programs (RAPs) for all individuals, regardless of their work experience or academic qualifications. NY-RAMP is a direct result of over eight years of direct feedback on MIAP programming, which MACNY and its partners will leverage to eliminate barriers to launching successful and sustainable RAPs. More specifically, NY-RAMP will address RAP creation challenges specific to the region, such as identifying appropriate RAP participants, working with businesses to create RAP curricula, and supporting RAP retention. To ensure successful scaling, MACNY and their partners propose to develop and launch expansion programming in three phases, starting with Syracuse, the Mohawk Valley, Rochester, and Albany in Phase 1, adding Buffalo, Binghamton, and Brooklyn in Phase 2, and expanding to the Hudson Valley and Long Island in Phase 3. As one of MACNY’s key NY-RAMP partners, Schumer said Micron has plans to tap into MACNY’s NYS Registered Apprenticeship Programming for their future workforce.
MACNY has recruited an expansive list of more than 75 key regional and statewide partners, including: employer partners like Micron Technology, GlobalFoundries, Wolfspeed, Indium, Smikron Danfoss, and MOOG; apprenticeship partners like the Center for Economic Growth, the Rochester Technology and Manufacturing Association, the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, Manufacturers Association of the Southern Tier, the Buffalo Niagara Manufacturing Alliance, Council of Industry and Ignite Long Island; education partners like Mohawk Valley Community College, Onondaga Community College, SUNY Schenectady, and Monroe Community College; workforce partners like Centerstate CEO, CNY Works, Oswego County Workforce Career Center, Working Solutions, the Capital Region Workforce Development Board; partners focused on serving underrepresented populations like the Arc of Onondaga, Action for a Better Community, and LAUNCH; and dozens more.
"Apprenticeship programs are pivotal to revitalizing New York's advanced manufacturing sector, bridging the skills gap, and fostering a new generation of highly skilled workers. We are grateful for our partnerships with MACNY and the Department of Labor that allow hands-on experiences with classroom instruction to ensure that our workforce is equipped with the practical knowledge and technical expertise necessary to thrive in a competitive manufacturing landscape," said Ross Berntson, Indium Corporation President and COO. "Indium Corporation, a proud legacy manufacturer celebrating its 90th year, is pleased to participate in these apprenticeship programs and contribute to the positive impact on our community through workforce development. We would like to express our gratitude to Senator Schumer for his advocacy to advance this crucial initiative."
Schumer has an extensive record of championing workforce development efforts for Central NY and the Mohawk Valley, particularly to support the growth of the semiconductor industry and broader tech and manufacturing sectors. The senator just announced a major $40 million from his CHIPS & Science Law as one of only 12 Tech Hub award winners for the Buffalo-Rochester-Syracuse region. This includes major funding for workforce training initiatives to close gaps in upskilling, hiring, and retention, especially for populations that have been historically excluded from tech and manufacturing related job opportunities.
Last year, Schumer delivered $1.3+ million from the DOE for Syracuse University and MVCC to expand workforce training programs for students entering the clean energy workforce. In addition, Schumer also announced $5 million in DoD funding for Syracuse University and partners to expand microelectronics workforce training and connect job seekers with defense manufacturing and tech employers, as well as $2 million in DOL funding for the Workforce Development Board of Herkimer, Madison and Oneida Counties and Mohawk Valley Community College to boost technical training. Schumer also secured $2 million for MVCC to create a new state-of-the-art semiconductor-and-advanced-manufacturing training center. Additionally, Schumer brought NSF Director Dr. Sethuraman Panchanathan to Syracuse to meet with key stakeholders and see with his own eyes how Central New York is primed to be a global manufacturing hub and discuss how federal STEM training investment could support this effort.
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