A group of 10 Fort Drum soldiers have completed a training program through SUNY Polytechnic Institute (SUNY Poly) that provided skills and connected them to New York’s advanced manufacturers. The 56-hour, hands-on training program is a partnership between SUNY Poly, the school’s Northeast Advanced Technological Education Center (NEATEC), Jefferson Community College (JCC), Mohawk Valley Community […]
A group of 10 Fort Drum soldiers have completed a training program through SUNY Polytechnic Institute (SUNY Poly) that provided skills and connected them to New York’s advanced manufacturers.
The 56-hour, hands-on training program is a partnership between SUNY Poly, the school’s Northeast Advanced Technological Education Center (NEATEC), Jefferson Community College (JCC), Mohawk Valley Community College (MVCC), and the Fort Drum’s Soldier For Life-Transition Assistance Program.
The National Science Foundation funded the project to provide “marketable, in-demand skills” to transitioning soldiers, SUNY Poly said.
“We are proud that SUNY Poly and NEATEC, in collaboration with our educational and governmental partners, are once again supporting the attainment of technical skills that can provide a bridge for soldiers as they transition into civilian life, paving the way for job interviews and opportunities that will allow these soldiers to positively leverage their military experience and skillset to obtain important jobs that are in-demand throughout the region,” Bahgat Sammakia, interim president of SUNY Poly, said in a news release.
This is the third group of soldiers to participate in such training since NEATEC began working with the Soldier for Life-Transition Assistance Program at Fort Drum in 2015. The partnership was created to “establish a pipeline” of soldiers interested in working as technicians in advanced manufacturing.
About the training
Training is offered to soldiers scheduled to separate from service within a year, as well as some recently transitioned veterans.
While initially offering training related to radio frequency and pneumatics, the program has expanded to include advanced-manufacturing practices, pneumatics technology, and mechatronics. The topic selection and course objectives for this workshop series were based upon conversations with SUNY Poly’s industrial partners, the school said.
Current and former MVCC faculty developed and taught the curriculum. The first two trainings were offered entirely on the MVCC campus, but this most recent training was split between MVCC and JCC.
Numerous companies have participated in the program, meeting with soldiers to talk about their organizations, products, and employment opportunities, including Clinton–based Indium Corporation; Danfoss Silicon Power, a German company with a Utica facility; Plattsburgh–based Norsk Titanium; Milpitas, California–headquartered GlobalFoundries, which operates location in Albany and East Fishkill in Dutchess County; SUNY Poly’s Albany NanoTech Complex Foundry; Panasonic Eco Solutions Solar NY of Buffalo; Bartell Machinery of Rome; HMI Metal Powders-Pratt & Whitney in Clayville, south of Utica; Anaren Inc. of DeWitt; and the Watertown location of Allied Motion, which is headquartered in the Buffalo suburb of Amherst.
