Manufacturing Careers Partnership begins recruitment in June

DeWITT — Recruitment will begin in June for the first pre-apprenticeship training program in the Manufacturing Careers Partnership.

CenterState CEO’s Work Train program describes it as a “new workforce-development initiative.”

The organization announced the Manufacturing Careers Partnership at Darco Manufacturing at 6756 Thompson Road in DeWitt and in a news release issued April 30.

The program will provide training for unemployed and underemployed area residents and link them to entry-level employment in the manufacturing industry.

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.

New York State Assemblyman Al Stirpe (D–Cicero) secured $1.2 million in state-grant funding for the initiative.

“People who go through this program are going to walk into a job as soon as they’re done, and that’s probably the best thing that I can say about the whole program,” Stirpe said in his remarks during the April 30 announcement.

The partnership seeks to “align a reemerging manufacturing sector in the region” with a pool of untapped talent in the region, according to CenterState CEO. 

“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 who want to work but are “disconnected” from opportunity, he added. 

“I am confident that we will be good stewards of the resources that Assemblyman Stirpe has provided to us and that at the end of this process, we will have put a lot of good people to work and we will have supported a lot of really good companies in this region,” Robert Simpson, president and CEO of CenterState CEO, said in his comments at the event.

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 release.

Manufacturing input

All programs that the partnership develops are “designed to employer specifications, based upon employer input.”

The program is “important to us” because it requires more than what people might think of as “traditional” training programs. Casey Crabill, president of Onondaga Community College, said in her remarks at the event. 

“We’re going to be building curriculum that’s based on the needs of employers, so we’ll know what skills have to be displayed by folks who are looking for work, at what level, under what time constraints, to what level of accuracy,” she said. 

SUNY’s Syracuse Educational Opportunity Center will serve as the host site of the pre-apprenticeship program, according to CenterState CEO.

The curriculum will also 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). 

Randy Wolken, president of MACNY, said the program is “music to my ears.” The organization represents more than 300 companies that all seem to be focused on “one consistent theme,” according to Wolken.

“Will I find the workforce of today and tomorrow — because if I don’t, I may have to be in North Carolina or Mexico or China,” he said.

Darco Manufacturing, through its partnership with On Point for Jobs, has hired eight entry-level workers in the last eight months, Laura Miller, general manager of Darco Manufacturing, said.

Only one of the workers had experience working in a manufacturing setting, she added.

Miller credited programs like On Point for Jobs, which helps Darco when it gets “hit by orders, as things slam us.”

“I’m able to say … bring those people in, let’s talk to them and that’s when it happens. Then, we figure it out later, we sort it out,” said Miller. That’s why Darco supports the new Manufacturing Careers Partnership.

On Point for Jobs is part of the nonprofit On Point for College, which operates an office at 1654 W. Onondaga St. in the Catholic Charities building. 

“It takes a community-wide approach. It takes a systemic approach. And that’s what this … is all about,” Robinson said.

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.        

DeWITT — Recruitment will begin in June for the first pre-apprenticeship training program in the Manufacturing Careers Partnership.

CenterState CEO’s Work Train program describes it as a “new workforce-development initiative.”

The organization announced the Manufacturing Careers Partnership at Darco Manufacturing at 6756 Thompson Road in DeWitt and in a news release issued April 30.

The program will provide training for unemployed and underemployed area residents and link them to entry-level employment in the manufacturing industry.

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.

New York State Assemblyman Al Stirpe (D–Cicero) secured $1.2 million in state-grant funding for the initiative.

“People who go through this program are going to walk into a job as soon as they’re done, and that’s probably the best thing that I can say about the whole program,” Stirpe said in his remarks during the April 30 announcement.

The partnership seeks to “align a reemerging manufacturing sector in the region” with a pool of untapped talent in the region, according to CenterState CEO. 

“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 who want to work but are “disconnected” from opportunity, he added. 

“I am confident that we will be good stewards of the resources that Assemblyman Stirpe has provided to us and that at the end of this process, we will have put a lot of good people to work and we will have supported a lot of really good companies in this region,” Robert Simpson, president and CEO of CenterState CEO, said in his comments at the event.

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 release.

Manufacturing input

All programs that the partnership develops are “designed to employer specifications, based upon employer input.”

The program is “important to us” because it requires more than what people might think of as “traditional” training programs. Casey Crabill, president of Onondaga Community College, said in her remarks at the event. 

“We’re going to be building curriculum that’s based on the needs of employers, so we’ll know what skills have to be displayed by folks who are looking for work, at what level, under what time constraints, to what level of accuracy,” she said. 

SUNY’s Syracuse Educational Opportunity Center will serve as the host site of the pre-apprenticeship program, according to CenterState CEO.

The curriculum will also 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). 

Randy Wolken, president of MACNY, said the program is “music to my ears.” The organization represents more than 300 companies that all seem to be focused on “one consistent theme,” according to Wolken.

“Will I find the workforce of today and tomorrow — because if I don’t, I may have to be in North Carolina or Mexico or China,” he said.

Darco Manufacturing, through its partnership with On Point for Jobs, has hired eight entry-level workers in the last eight months, Laura Miller, general manager of Darco Manufacturing, said.

Only one of the workers had experience working in a manufacturing setting, she added.

Miller credited programs like On Point for Jobs, which helps Darco when it gets “hit by orders, as things slam us.”

“I’m able to say … bring those people in, let’s talk to them and that’s when it happens. Then, we figure it out later, we sort it out,” said Miller. That’s why Darco supports the new Manufacturing Careers Partnership.

On Point for Jobs is part of the nonprofit On Point for College, which operates an office at 1654 W. Onondaga St. in the Catholic Charities building. 

“It takes a community-wide approach. It takes a systemic approach. And that’s what this … is all about,” Robinson said.

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.