School-To-Work Initiative Announced By Hochul

Press Release

Following a School-to-Work roundtable at Monroe Community College (MCC), Congresswoman Kathy Hochul today stood with administrators from MCC, Genesee Community College (GCC), the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID), the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), St. John Fisher, SUNY Brockport, SUNY Geneseo, and the University of Rochester, to announce her plan to introduce the Workforce-Ready Educate America Act, which partners local employers with educational institutions in an effort to create a job-ready workforce.

"Every year, Western New York's outstanding educational institutions educate and train our students, but after graduation many of our young people are moving to cities with better job opportunities," said Congresswoman Hochul. "If we create a partnership between our local businesses and our local schools, we can provide our students with the sufficient skills to meet the needs of these fast-growing industries, while keeping a trained workforce right here in Western New York."

"Co-operative education is truly a win-win for students and employers alike," said Nancy L. Zimpher, chancellor of The State University of New York, where the SUNY Works Network is making co-op available to all of New York. "This additional tax-credit incentive for businesses to partner with colleges and universities as they expand their co-op offerings will be invaluable. Congresswoman Hochul is to be commended for her foresight and leadership in bringing this legislation to bear as the nation aims to double the number of work-study jobs in the next five years."

Congresswoman Hochul's legislation would incentivize partnerships between employers and educational institutions by providing local businesses with a tax credit of $1,000 for each student participating in a qualified technical training and skills partnering program.

Today, one in four American businesses have open positions for which they cannot find qualified candidates, and 5 percent of current manufacturing jobs -- 600,000 total jobs -- remain unfilled due to lack of qualified candidates.

Hochul added, "If we give our local businesses the opportunity to connect with a skilled workforce, we can keep our local talent right here in Western New York by giving them a good-paying job, while at the same time providing a much needed boost to our economy."

Congresswoman Hochul will next convene a roundtable of local schools and potential industry partners to discuss the next steps in building a stronger relationship between educational institutions and local employers.

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