Media / News

Magazine rates U.S. colleges’ openness, responsiveness to students ages 25 and older 

BRIGHTON, N.Y. – Aug. 29, 2017 – Monroe Community College is one of 12 most innovative U.S. colleges for adult learners, according to Washington Monthly magazine’s latest college rankings.

The list rates two-year and four-year higher education institutions based on how they best serve learners ages 25 and older.

MCC is recognized for being “at the cutting edge of making college more responsive to changes in the labor market” by using real-time data to provide a deeper understanding of local employers’ workforce demands and to help MCC students make informed career choices. The College’s Economic Development and Innovative Workforce Services Division (EDIWS) recently launched a web platform, www.mcclmi.com, that provides actionable data to guide educators, workforce developers, and economic developers by allowing them to apply occupational-based analyses within specific regions and workforce clusters. These analyses have been accepted across the Finger Lakes region, and into the Central and Western New York regions.

“Innovation is at the heart of what we do. We align and inform programs through local labor market analysis to adapt our solutions to current workforce needs,” said Dr. Todd Oldham, vice president of MCC’s EDIWS Division.

Also highlighted is MCC’s accelerated precision tooling certificate program—developed in response to the region’s high demand for skilled machinists—as a model for addressing unmet needs of employers in other fields. Ninety-percent of graduates from the first cohort of the accelerated precision tooling certificate program secured employment upon graduation from the program, and the cohorts that followed have had similar results. MCC plans to roll out similar programs to meet employer demand. One such program is the cohort-based medical office assistant certificate program launching this fall.

The magazine’s list is compiled using data from federal government sources and the College Board’s Annual Survey of Colleges.

Approximately 40 percent of all U.S. college students are adults, according to Washington Monthly. At MCC, 31 percent of students are adults (25 years of age and older).

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Media Contact:

Hency Yuen-Eng
Marketing and Community Relations
585-292-3063
hyuen-eng@monroecc.edu

Investing in the current workforce is also an investment in the future.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – April 1, 2014 – MCC Corporate College trainers currently are delivering instruction in a comprehensive Set-Up Technician Training Program onsite at the Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc. plant locations in Fairport and Penfield. Participants in the first year of a two-year program will complete 12 distinct courses and 256 hours of classroom and hands-on training including Machine Math, Blue Print Reading, Mechanical and Electrical Skills, Hydraulic Maintenance Technology, Troubleshooting, and three levels of Plastics Injection Molding. Year two course and application work will follow. All instructors are adjunct professors or contract training consultants for MCC Corporate College.

Companies can save in the long run by investing now in compensation restructuring and training to improve employee engagement. According to findings by Taleo Corp., a talent management solutions provider, a company that loses 500 employees during the economic recovery may face turnover costs of $75 million, while a company that spends $2 million raising employee engagement could avoid these costs and see a return on investment of 3,650 percent.

“As a leading manufacturer of laboratory products, we recognize the need to invest in the area’s workforce,” said Jeremy Sharkey, plant manager for the local Thermo Fisher Scientific sites. “We are pleased to be working with MCC to provide a unique technical development program for our employees that complements our internal development programs. The MCC staff did a great job working closely with our engineering and human resources departments to develop a tailored program to fit our needs.”

“MCC Corporate College takes an innovative approach in providing workforce solutions,” said Todd Oldham, vice president of MCC’s Economic Development and Innovative Workforce Services. “Within the past year, we have designed more than 90 course offerings to specifically address the training and workforce needs of the region for businesses and individuals. As a catalyst for economic development, MCC enables workers to build stronger futures and works with employers like Thermo Fisher Scientific to stay competitive in the global market and contribute to the economic vitality of the region.”

MCC Corporate College delivers training and professional development solutions for regional businesses, industries, organizations, and individuals. Our training experts analyze client needs and then provide professional guidance to identify the most essential training goals – including a written learning and development recommendation – and present cost-effective, customizable, measurable programs with desired outcomes. To learn more about the MCC Corporate College (www.monroecc.edu/go/CorporateCollege) and how custom programming can support your business, call 585-292-3770 or corporatecollege@monroecc.edu.

MCC Corporate College also offers professional development opportunities for individuals. A complete schedule of classes is available, any of which can be adapted to meet the custom needs of an organization.

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Media Contact:

MCC Corporate College
Kristin Sine-Kinz
Director, Marketing Operations
Office: 585.292.3794
ksinekinz@monroecc.edu

Thermo Fisher Scientific
Marcia K. Goff
Senior Manager, Group Communications
Office: +1.781.790.7324
marcia.goff@thermofisher.com

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Vice President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden visited Monroe Community College’s Applied Technologies Center today to emphasize high-performing job-training programs like MCC’s that create educational opportunities leading to well-paying jobs.

The visit follows on the heels of President Obama’s 2014 State of the Union address in which he committed to helping community colleges build industry partnerships so that, as workforce and skills needs change, community colleges can quickly adapt and increase the employability of graduates.

Speaking before an audience of approximately 500 MCC students, faculty and community leaders, Vice President Biden said, “By 2020, it’s estimated there will be a need for 877,000 skilled workers for high tech manufacturing. … What you’re doing here [at MCC] is being copied. When people see opportunity, they seize it,” he said.

“We’re talking about training people for long-term careers for the new manufacturing for the 21st century,” the vice president said. “MCC stepped in with their summer program (Summer Optics Sizzler Camp) to show parents and kids where the jobs are. This is not your old Kodak job.”

“Monroe is doing exactly what we need to replicate across the country,” said Second Lady Dr. Jill Biden, who also teaches English at Northern Virginia Community College (Annandale, Va.). “First ask the businesses exactly what they need, then enroll students in those programs.”

“What happens in community colleges is extraordinary,” Dr. Biden said. “These schools are absolutely critical to America’s future.”

“At MCC, we know that economic opportunity begins with access to high quality education,” said MCC President Anne Kress. “More and more students come to MCC seeking skills and training that will connect them directly and immediately to employment. We are honored that Vice President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden came to MCC to highlight the critical role community colleges play in preparing job seekers for high-demand careers.”

Dr. Biden introduced Optimax Systems, Inc. founder and President Mike Mandina ’75, an MCC alumnus who launched a regional skills alliance with other manufacturers in 1996 to address a regional skills gap, especially in the optics industry. “As a group, we decided to stop talking about the skills gap and start doing something,” said Mandina. “In our region, we are truly blessed to have community college presidents from Monroe, Finger Lakes and Genesee (community colleges) who are aligning programs and skills to help students get a living-wage job. I don’t believe the Administration could have picked a better place at a better time than this exact moment,” he said before introducing Vice President Biden.

MCC has launched more than 90 courses and programs in the past year in collaboration with industry partners. “Because of MCC’s outstanding industry partnerships and our use of real-time labor market data to guide program development, MCC is helping to close the region’s skills gap, increase opportunity for our students, and meet the needs of local employers,” Kress said.

SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher, Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks, Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren, Brighton Town Supervisor Bill Moehle and many other elected officials and community leaders were present at the event. Vice President Biden also credited U.S. Congresswoman Louis Slaughter for “fighting hard” to include New York’s community colleges in federal funding opportunities and Kress for “putting a million dollars of that funding to good use.” His reference was in regards to a $14.6 million U.S. Department of Labor grant awarded to a consortium of SUNY community colleges in September 2012 to provide training within the advanced manufacturing industry. MCC leads the consortium.

“The story of the history of this country has been built upon the backs of the middle class,” said Vice President Biden. “We can come back. We want to be in a position where moms and dads can look at their kids over the next several years and tell them, ‘It’s going to be okay.’ ”

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Media Contact:
Hency Yuen-Eng
Marketing and Community Relations
585-292-3063
hyuen-eng@monroecc.edu