DeWITT, N.Y. — CenterState CEO’s Work Train program has announced the Manufacturing Careers Partnership, which it describes as a “new workforce-development initiative.”
The organization made the announcement at Darco Manufacturing at 6756 Thompson Road in DeWitt and in a news release issued Thursday.
The program will provide training for unemployed and underemployed area residents and link them to entry-level employment in the manufacturing industry.
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New York State Assemblyman Al Stirpe (D–Cicero) secured $1.2 million in state-grant funding for the initiative, which begins this summer.
The partnership seeks to “align a reemerging manufacturing sector in the region” with a pool of untapped talent in the region, according to the CenterState CEO release. Recruitment for this summer’s first pre-apprenticeship training program will begin this June.
“We’ve talked to employers across the Central New York community who all say they can’t hire enough workers quickly enough to keep up with the pace of growth,” Dominic Robinson, director of Work Train, said in his remarks at the announcement event.
The community has “countless” men and women in the community who want to work but are “disconnected” from opportunity, he added.
Most people don’t realize that the manufacturing sector is “growing again” in Central New York, Laura Miller, general manager of Darco Manufacturing, said in the CenterState CEO news release.
“There’s a vibrant network of small to mid-size companies who are doing well. Collectively, perhaps our biggest challenge is connecting to hidden talent we have right here in our community. Many of us need entry-level workers today, and we need those workers to be prepared to step into skilled positions in the coming years as our older workers retire,” said Miller.
The Manufacturing Careers Partnership anticipates working with 40 to 60 people through December and “will build capacity to train and advance 300 workers through 2017,” CenterState CEO said.
All programs that the partnership develops are “designed to employer specifications, based upon employer input.”
The curriculum will incorporate feedback from industry groups, such as the DeWitt–based Manufacturers Association of Central New York (MACNY) and the Salina–based Central New York Technology Development Organization (TDO).
The program will initially target residents of Onondaga County to address workforce needs for entry-level workers at “traditional” manufacturers, CenterState CEO said.
After establishing the pre-apprenticeship program as a “strong foundation,” the partnership will develop subsequent programs and resources to address “higher-skilled positions over the long term,” with expanded programs to support workforce needs within the advanced-manufacturing industry, as described in the CenterState CEO news release.
Work Train, a collaborative that CenterState CEO leads and administers, is spearheading the Manufacturing Careers Partnership. Local foundations and local and state-government funding help pay for the Work Train collaborative, CenterState CEO said.
Work Train says it brings together partners to develop workforce programs that meet the needs of area employers and unemployed and underemployed workers. Work Train seeks to connect community members to jobs that “show persistent and robust demand for workers” and “opportunities for career advancement,” according to the release.
Work Train’s model builds on CenterState CEO’s pilot programs, Green Train and Health Train.
Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com
PHOTO CAPTION: Dominic Robinson, director of CenterState CEO’s Work Train program, on Thursday explained the Manufacturing Careers Partnership during the announcement at Darco Manufacturing in DeWitt. (Eric Reinhardt / BJNN)
