November/December 2020
The Workforce Development Board of
Herkimer, Madison & Oneida Counties'
AAI Grant Program Newsletter
Alice Savino talks to the Observer-Dispatch about the Benefits of Apprenticeships to American Businesses and Workers

Alice Savino, Executive Director
Workforce Development Board
Herkimer, Madison, Oneida
Chenango, Delaware, Otsego
AAI Funding
AAI can provide up to $5,000 for Related Instruction and up to $2,000 for
Pre-Apprenticeship training.
 
To learn more about how you can take advantage of these incentives, please email us.
Workforce Development Board (WDB) of Herkimer, Madison and Oneida Counties Receives Grant To Train Women for Technology Careers

The program will be available in the following counties:
Broome, Cayuga, Chenango, Cortland, Delaware, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Madison, Oneida, Onondaga, Oswego, Otsego, St. Lawrence, Tioga, Fulton, Montgomery & Schoharie

To build upon its cutting-edge programs that help Upstate New York job-seekers connect with good-paying jobs, the Workforce Development Board of Herkimer, Madison and Oneida Counties is pleased to announce that it has been awarded a $716,676 grant from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Women’s Bureau.

The Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations grant will help women enter apprenticeships in the high growth information technology sector while helping local employers recruit, develop, and retain a highly skilled workforce.

The project builds upon the WDB’s American Apprenticeship Initiative, which broke ground in New York State through its development of Registered Apprenticeships in the information technology sector.

“This grant will allow us to tap into the vast pool of talented women in our region who have the potential to enter the IT and cybersecurity sector, but have not had the training needed to enter apprenticeships that employers are creating all around us,” said Alice Savino, Executive Director of the WDB.

The project will develop a pre-apprenticeship pathway to help women build their skills while also addressing the real world balancing act of juggling child care and other responsibilities faced by working women. It plans to help 200 women enter apprenticeships being created across the Mohawk Valley and Upstate New York.

“Upstate New York has always been a region where we have understood and recognized the importance of collaboration and partnerships between employers and our workforce development agencies,” Savino said. “This is a time when our region has unlimited potential due to the growth of new high-tech, high-growth career sectors and the resurgence of traditional sectors such as manufacturing. This project has been designed to be the catalyst that helps women connect with education and then connect with good-paying jobs.”

The project also features an aggressive outreach plan to help women making career choices enter the sector.

“We want the women who are considering technology careers to have the tools and support they need for success,” Savino said. “We want to share the many success stories in our region with young women who are making life and career choices so that they can understand that this sector is one where they can achieve success.”

The WDB was among six organizations nationally that were awarded grants.

“The Women’s Bureau is honored to administer the Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations grants,” said Women’s Bureau Director Laurie Todd-Smith, Ph.D. “This grant program provides funding to community organizations to help women reach self-sufficiency by providing the skills needed to pursue careers that they may have thought were out of reach to them.”

Savino noted that the WDB will be working closely with partners including the New York State Department of Labor, Mohawk Valley Community College, Griffiss Institute and Empowered Pathways to implement a comprehensive project that will increase the numbers of women seeking to enter the IT sector.

“We want the gates of opportunity to be wide open for everyone,” Savino said. “The WDB’s commitment has been to serve all the people of our region. With this project and these partnerships, we are happy to have the opportunity to implement this project."

To learn more about this grant, contact Alice J. Savino, Executive Director, 209 Elizabeth St., Utica, NY 13501. Phone: 315-793-6037. e-mail: asavino@working-solutions.org
Apprenticeship Success Story: Brandon Miazga, Riverhawk Company

Brandon Miazga, a Riverhawk Company employee since 2014, received his Journeyman card in September 2019 for completing the CNC Machinist Apprenticeship Program. Brandon is the first Riverhawk employee to complete the program, which was created in 2018.

Riverhawk currently has three apprentices in the CNC Machinist program. The COVID-19 pandemic caused issues with continuing education opportunities for these individuals. Brandon recognized this, and took the initiative to create an opportunity for the current cohort. When Riverhawk received copies of the book “Think One Team” from MVCC for the apprentices, Brandon formed a book group and led weekly group discussion to review what they learned and how it relates to Riverhawk. 

“Brandon has served in a variety of roles at Riverhawk, including programming and supervising, as well as machining,” said Emily Arthur, HR Director. “He has excelled at every role he’s been in, and will never shy away from a new challenge or opportunity. He is the first person to come to me looking for professional development opportunities. The fact that he was able to successfully complete the program was no surprise to me, but his willingness to jump into action and help lead the other apprentices during a challenging time was what really impressed me. We’re very lucky to have him on our team.”

Congratulations, Brandon!

Photo courtesy Emily Arthur
National Apprenticeship Week

National Apprenticeship Week (NAW), now in it's sixth year, is a nationwide celebration that gives businesses, communities, and educators the opportunity to showcase their apprenticeship programs and apprentices while providing valuable information to career seekers. NAW 2020 will be held November 8-14, 2020.

From the U.S. Department of Labor Press Release:

“National Apprenticeship Week 2020 will highlight the ways in which apprenticeships can help Americans succeed in our nation’s major industries,” said Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training John Pallasch. “As our nation gets back to work, apprenticeships can help workers earn an income while learning new skills that will help them succeed in the recovering economy.”

Apprenticeships are industry-driven, high-quality career pathways in which employers can develop and prepare their future workforce, and individuals can obtain paid work experience, classroom instruction, and transferable credentials. The Department oversees both Registered Apprenticeship Programs and Industry-Recognized Apprenticeship Programs, which assist employers in developing an immediate pool of workers with the right skills for available jobs and allow workers to get a paycheck from day one while they build skills in a new career."


Video: The Future of Manufacturing
Randy Wolken, MACNY’s President & CEO, provides a brief update on the Future of Manufacturing.

At the beginning of the video they also recognize MACNY member companies celebrating milestone anniversaries this year.
Congratulations, 2020 Milestone Award winners!

(Future of Manufacturing begins at 2:37 mark.)

#ConsiderACareerInManufacturing
Why Should You Consider Becoming an Apprentice?
The Raymond Corporation Observes National Manufacturing Day
More than 2,000 Student
Registrants Attend

On National Manufacturing Day, October 2nd, the Raymond Corporation hosted an online interactive event with more than 2,000 student registrants from across the country.

National Manufacturing Day is an annual celebration of the manufacturing industry organized by the National Association of Manufacturers.

“The material handling industry is in need of the younger generation’s innovative thinking, which can push and challenge our industry to stretch and reach new potential,” Raymond Corporation's Senior Director of Operations and Quality, Tony Topencik said. “We want to ignite curiosity among students about career possibilities that they might not have previously considered.”

The company says that as manufacturers seek to fill 4.6 million high-skill, high-tech jobs over the next decade, participating in Manufacturing Day events allows companies to engage students at an age when they are still finding their interests and deciding what types of careers they want to explore.


#ConsiderACareerInManufacturing
Benefits of Apprenticeship
  • Helps recruit and develop a highly skilled workforce.
  • Improves productivity and the bottom line.
  • Provides opportunities for tax credits and employee tuition benefits in some states.
  • Reduces turnover costs and increases employee retention.
  • Creates industry driven and flexible training solutions to meet national and local needs.
  • Allows workers to earn and learn at the same time.

More and more companies are realizing the advantages we can offer in helping to train their future workforce.

Employers: If you are interested in becoming a sponsor, please let us know!

We can also help you set up a new apprenticeship program.
This program is available to residents and businesses located in the following New York counties: Broome, Cayuga, Chemung, Chenango, Cortland, Delaware, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Madison, Oneida, Onondaga, Oswego, Otsego, Schuyler, St. Lawrence, Steuben, Tioga and Tompkins.
Cybersecurity Webinar
This webinar will go over the common external threats related to Cybersecurity and some of the methods these external players use in conducting cybersecurity attacks.

November 24th, 2020
11am - 12pm EST

7 Steps to Create an Apprenticeship Program That Attracts Top Talent

Read the Article at Thomasnet and Contact Us to find out how we can help!
#ConsiderACareerInManufacturing

High-Demand Apprenticeship Occupations:
  • CNC Set-Up Programmer — Milling and Turning
  • Machinist, Precision
  • Industrial Maintenance Repairer
  • Mold Maker, Die Casting, and Plastic Molding
  • Plastics Fabricator
  • Tool and Die Maker


Consider Sponsoring An Apprenticeship

"Increasingly, advanced manufacturing companies are turning to apprenticeship to develop, grow, and retain a skilled workforce. Apprenticeship programs combine on-the-job learning with related instruction in technical areas to produce qualified, highly-productive employees for careers requiring precision skills. Apprenticeship training ensures workers have the knowledge and competencies companies need for today and tomorrow."
--US Department of Labor

Advanced Manufacturing Industry Resources from the US Department of Labor
  • Advanced Manufacturing Fact Sheet
  • Manufacturing and Apprenticeship Toolkit
  • Employer's Playbook for Building an Apprenticeship Program
  • Minding the Gap: Investing in a Skilled Manufacturing Workforce
  • Manufacturing Industry Competency Models
  • Mentoring for Apprenticeship: Train-the-Trainer for On-the-Job Training

Who We Are
In Central New York, The Herkimer, Madison, Oneida (HMO) Workforce Development Board's (WDB) American Apprenticeship Initiative (AAI) Grant is building a new sustainable regional workforce pipeline specific to advanced manufacturing including nanotechnology, cybersecurity and unmanned vehicle systems.

AAI helps companies registered in the apprenticeship program recruit, train, retain and develop a diverse workforce of skilled employees.

Apprenticeships create a pipeline of skilled workers to help employers prepare for the “grey tsunami,” mend the skills gap and bring their companies to the next level. AAI can also help businesses set up an apprenticeship program.

AAI helps high school and college students, disconnected youth, unemployed adults, minorities and veterans prepare for and secure apprenticeship opportunities. There is no charge to enroll in the program.

We provide opportunities to participants for:
  • On-the-Job Learning
  • Job Related Technical/Classroom or Online Instruction
  • Pre-Apprenticeship Training

This program is available to residents and businesses located in the following New York counties: Broome, Cayuga, Chemung, Chenango, Cortland, Delaware, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Madison, Oneida, Onondaga, Oswego, Otsego, Schuyler, St. Lawrence, Steuben, Tioga and Tompkins.

CONTACT US to find out how we can help!
Need Training Help?
Are you a smaller company looking to get additional training for your employees? We have heard from some of you regarding the need for safety classes and more. If you would be interested in teaming up with other companies that are in a similar situation, let us know.
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  • Reports & Surveys,
  • Interviews (apprentices, students, schools employers & stakeholders),
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  • Local opportunities and more!

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About the Workforce Development Board of Herkimer, Madison, Oneida (HMO) Counties:
The role of the local Workforce Development Board (WDB) is system focused and strategic in nature. As a decision-making entity, the WDB determines priorities of service, negotiates measures, facilitates integration, and ensures quality outcomes. By understanding workforce development needs, anticipating trends, and focusing on system outcomes and performance, the WDB can effect substantial long-term change in the economic well being of the community.
Have Questions? 
Please Contact us!
Alice Savino, Executive Director
315-798-5908

This workforce product was funded by a grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration. This product was created by the recipient and does not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Labor. The Department of Labor makes no guarantees, warranties, or assurances of any kind, express or implied, with respect to such information, including any information on linked sites and including, but not limited to, accuracy of the information or its completeness, timeliness, usefulness, adequacy, continued availability or ownership. This product is copyrighted by the institution that created it.