Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara (D-Rotterdam) announced the passage of legislation he sponsored to help train more workers in advanced manufacturing (A.7673). Funding would be directed to not-for-profits, industry public-private partnerships, individuals and institutions such as Schenectady County and Fulton-Montgomery community colleges.

“Making it easier for workers to get the training they need for the jobs in our region is a win-win for our area,” said Santabarbara. “Right now many of these certificate programs do not qualify them for state or federal tuition assistance. With this legislation, businesses get the skilled workers they need and workers can acquire the skill sets they need to land good-paying jobs.”

“Certainly we are hearing from employers that we need to prepare people with middle level skills to work in today’s economy,” said Dr. Dustin Swanger, President of Fulton-Montgomery Community College. This bill will help those individuals by providing funding to support the training need to meet those skill levels. I applaud Assemblyman Santabarbara for working on this problem that faces New York as we try and address the skill gap between the unemployed and jobs available.”

Funding for this legislation would come from the Empire State Fund and the Empire State Development Corporation (ESDC) will determine what will qualify as an “advanced manufacturing” certificate. Santabarbara noted that the ESDC would award the funds, with preference given to programs that foster local and regional public-private partnerships.