Press release:
Those considering a career in engineering, biotechnology or computerized drafting and design may be eligible for up to $8,500 in grants to cover tuition and other fees for an associate degree from Genesee Community College.
The funds are available through Finger Lakes Workforce Investment Board, GLOW Workforce Investment Board, and Rochester Works! as a new state and federal initiative with the New York and U.S. departments of labor.
The Advanced Manufacturing Career Pathways Project is intended to serve as a pipeline connecting talented students with existing and emerging manufacturing industries in the nine county Finger Lakes region. These jobs differ from traditional production or "unskilled labor" jobs because they require specialized skills, a higher level of training and offer a more flexible approach to creating products.
Instead of stocking goods for sale at a later date, advanced manufacturing builds inventory for immediate, or near-future sale, and requires an educated and skilled workforce to deliver a more focused demand.
The core competencies needed to meet the needs of the rapidly expanding and emerging fields of biomedicine, optics, photonics and nanoelectronics can be acquired in any of three associate degrees available at GCC: Engineering Science, Biotechnology and Computerized Drafting and Design. Students enrolled in additional academic programs at Finger Lakes and Monroe Community Colleges may also qualify for the funding program.
"Because the demand for certain jobs is so high, we want to focus on helping our workforce adapt to the changing technology and needs of modern manufacturers," said Bill Rotenberg, grant coordinator for the Finger Lakes Workforce Investment Board, which is administering the grant. We also want to create awareness for the unemployed and our future workforce of the career and training opportunities available in this region."
Rotenberg says the goal of the grant program is to place participants in jobs that will earn an average annual salary of $45,000.
The grant, which covers tuition, books and fees over the course of a two-year degree program, is open to those who meet the following criteria:
• 18 years of age
• High school diploma or G.E.D.
• Unemployed
For more information about the grant and the exciting career possibilities available with advanced manufacturing, contact William Rotenberg at (315) 789-3131 or via email: amcn@fingerlakesworks.com.
GCC is also gearing-up for a first-time, one-credit course aimed at exploring the pathway of engineered products from invention to production to sales. The EGR 100 – Introduction to Engineering course will be offered for the spring 2013 semester at the Batavia Campus to introduce engineering concepts in all disciplines including mechanical, biomedical, civil, environmental, chemical, computer, electrical, aerospace, nuclear and architecture.
The eight-week class will feature presentations by working engineers and visits to production facilities. For more information on the course and its prerequisites, call GCC Engineering instructor Ronald Schumacher at 343-0055, ext. 6303, or via email: rvschumacher@genesee.edu.
