DeWITT, N.Y. — MACNY, The Manufacturers Association recently brought aboard a new workforce-development specialist that will help it implement a key apprenticeship program and other initiatives.

In her role, Justyna Valencia will support MACNY’s New York State Manufacturers Intermediary Apprenticeship Program (NYSMIAP). She will play an integral role in maintaining relationships with new and existing companies participating in NYSMIAP, while also coordinating related instruction and on-the-job training for apprentices, MACNY said in a news release. 

Valencia will also be actively engaged in workforce-development initiatives supporting the expansion of the current apprenticeship program as well as new initiatives that support critical industry sectors such as the semiconductor and green-energy supply chains statewide. 

Most recently, Valencia was the customer-success agent and onboarding specialist at StorySlab, a Syracuse–based software firm that caters to B2B field sales teams. Prior to that, she spent 13 years at JADAK, A Novanta Company, in several roles, including manufacturing operator, documentation technician/quality assurance assistant, and senior marketing-communications specialist. Valencia holds an associate degree in applied science, with a concentration in early childhood education, from SUNY Cobleskill. 

DeWitt–based MACNY, The Manufacturers Association, represents more than 300 companies in a 26-county region in Central and upstate New York. The more than 108-year-old organization provides human-resource services, training, workforce development, purchasing solutions, networking opportunities, and advocacy support for its members.