State unveils new initiative: Mohawk Valley Empowers
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On Tuesday Gov. Kathy Hochul announced a new program to help strengthen Central New York's workforce: Mohawk Valley Empowers.
The three-year, $10 million initiative is a collaboration with nine colleges and BOCES schools, as well as 22 non-profit organizations. Partners include Utica University, SUNY Polytechnic Institute, Working Solutions and the Workforce Development Board of Utica, and Mohawk Valley Community College.
Each campus sits in proximity to the 200mm silicon carbide wafer fabrication facility opened by Wolfspeed at the nanocenter in April 2022 and the chip fabrication facility that Micron Technology, Inc. plans to build in Clay.
According to state officials, over the past two decades the region's workforce participation rate has remained “relatively flat” at less than 60 percent.
Hochul wants that to change.
“The Mohawk Valley is becoming a destination for semiconductor manufacturing and research, and this initiative will empower New Yorkers to take part in the transformative economic potential and future that lies ahead – both in this industry and beyond,” Hochul said in a statement. “Our strategic partnerships with educational and industry stakeholders will help to develop a robust talent pipeline, create accessible pathways to jobs, and make the Mohawk Valley a place for New Yorkers to build their careers.”
SUNY Poly receives $4 million
Hochul spotlighted SUNY Poly, the most recent school chosen to receive a $4 million capital grant to support its Semiconductor Processing to Packaging Research, Education and Training Center.
The center, currently occupied by Semikron Danfoss, aims to become an epicenter for semiconductor research by increasing graduates across advanced manufacturing disciplines by 10 percent in the next four years, officials said in a statement.
To aid with what SUNY Poly President Dr. Winston Soboyejo called “transformational” objectives, semiconductor and supply chains, Wolfspeed, Danfoss, Micron, Indium, Marquardt Switches, Menlo Micro, and NoMIS Power, along with NY Creates, will collaborate with the university.
The center intends to have approximately 5,000-square-feet of cleanroom space, as well as two classrooms which will seat approximately 30 students apiece.
Public praise
Proposals for Mohawk Valley Empowers will be prioritized based on their ability to meet people where they are on their career journeys, as well as their ability to consider the needs of participants and dismantle iniquities within the workforce pipeline, state officials said.
Potential applicants for the program must submit their Consolidated Funding Application by Friday, June 28.
Chair of the Regional Economic Development Councils Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado released a statement praising the new initiative. He also traveled to Marcy on Tuesday to make the announcement.
“The cornerstone of our regional economic development process is collaborative, community-led projects that will build a stronger future for New Yorkers statewide. Mohawk Valley Empowers showcases the importance of bringing our regional workforce together to create the job training and employment opportunities needed to build a 21st century economy.”
State Sen. Joe Griffo, R-Rome, also advocated for the program.
“This investment in state funding will enhance and support the semiconductor manufacturing industry in the Mohawk Valley while also empowering people and strengthening the workforce in the region,” he said in a statement.
This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: State launches Mohawk Valley Empowers
