Chancellor launches SUNY’s free online training for those pursuing education for careers

SUNY Chancellor Jim Malatras has launched a statewide campaign supporting SUNY’s new free online training center designed to give New Yorkers a “clear pathway” to college and careers in the post-COVID economy.

And it doesn’t matter “whether they live in urban centers or rural communities,” SUNY noted in a Tuesday news release.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo detailed the new online training center during Tuesday’s State of the State address. In it, he called for the expansion of the center to reach more New Yorkers.

The SUNY Online Training Center currently offers free high-school equivalency, college prep, and employment-certification programs in “high demand” areas, such as health care, along with success coaches trained to guide participants.

Registration is open for the spring semester, which begins on Feb. 1, SUNY said. Students who complete any one of the online training center certificates with a high-school diploma or high-school equivalency credential will be automatically accepted to any of SUNY’s 30 community colleges or SUNY Empire State College. The application fee is also waived.

To learn more, register, or attend a virtual informational session, those interested can visit: https://www.suny.edu/sunyforall.

Even before the pandemic, it was projected that 65 percent of jobs in the U.S. would require post-secondary education through 2020, and recent projections show that figure increasing to 70 percent by 2027. More than 2.2 million New Yorkers between the ages of 25 to 44 currently have no degree, and 2.6 million between the ages of 45 and 64 also don’t have a college degree.

SUNY’s free online training center offers free certifications in college preparation, such as high-school equivalency; in allied health, such as electronic health records and pharmacy technician; in business and industry certification, such as advanced manufacturing. Eligible students must be a New York State resident from a low- or moderate-income household, without a post-secondary degree, who may be unemployed or recently laid off.

SUNY’s free online training center includes programs offered by the system’s University Center for Academic and Workforce Development (UCAWD) in Albany; SUNY’s Advanced Technology Training and Information Networking (ATTAIN) labs; and Educational Opportunity Centers (EOCs). These online programs, coupled with success coaches, will help more New Yorkers earn a higher-education degree. Additionally, small-business owners can start or grow their enterprises with EntreSkills, the free online entrepreneurial education course developed by the New York Small Business Development Center, SUNY said.