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

Scholarship awards make college education affordable and accessible.

Starting in fall 2014, Monroe Community College will provide scholarships to economically disadvantaged high school students enrolled in dual enrollment courses taken at their high schools.

MCC’s new Inspiring Every Day scholarship program assists students in Monroe, Genesee, Livingston, Ontario, Orleans and Wayne counties who are eligible for free or reduced lunch and participate in the dual enrollment program, which enables students to earn transferrable college credits while still in high school. MCC offers dual enrollment courses at 52 school and BOCES locations across the counties.

The scholarship awards cover students’ MCC tuition and fees for the semester. Students residing outside of Monroe County must complete a Certificate of Residency form as the scholarship does not cover out-of-county tuition charge.

Students interested in taking dual enrollment courses are advised to consult with their high schools before registering. Registration opens Sept. 10 through Oct. 1.

The scholarship program aims to increase opportunities for more high school students to get a jump-start on college. Upon high school graduation, students can use earned credits to accelerate their studies at MCC or at other colleges and universities. Research has shown that high school students who complete college coursework are more likely to graduate from high school and continue their college studies.

For more information about dual enrollment, call MCC at (585) 292-2135.

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

WHAT: Fifteen displaced workers and military veterans in the nine-county region will complete the accelerated precision tooling certificate program at Monroe Community College this week and receive job placement assistance from the Rochester Technology and Manufacturing Association (RTMA).

Developed in partnership with RTMA in response to the advanced manufacturing industry’s immediate need for skilled workers, the six-month accelerated program allows participants to receive education and hands-on training in machining at no cost, earn a certificate in half the normal time and obtain assistance in finding employment within a year. Last year, when the program was launched, 10 of the 13 graduates found employment.

WHERE: MCC’s Applied Technologies Center, 2485 W. Henrietta Road in Brighton.

WHEN: Classes are held from 4 to 10 p.m. weekdays; best opportunities for visuals are between 4 and 6 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 5, through Thursday, Aug. 7.

DETAILS: Findings from the Rochester Area Skill Needs Assessment and Business Climate Survey, conducted by MCC in March 2013 and May 2014, showed that the occupations with the most persistently unfilled positions include advanced manufacturing.

The nine counties in the region are Monroe, Genesee, Ontario, Livingston, Seneca, Orleans, Yates, Wayne and Wyoming.

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

Many choose to recruit within Greater Rochester, joint MCC survey finds

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – May 27, 2014 – As the national job market improves slightly for new college graduates, many Greater Rochester-area employers surveyed are experiencing a shortage of qualified candidates for at least 900 persistently unfilled positions — mostly at the middle-skill level — representing less than 5 percent of total occupied positions.

The findings from the latest Rochester Area Skill Needs Assessment and Business Climate Survey also showed that the occupations with the most persistently unfilled positions are in production, architecture and engineering, and construction fields.

The survey, conducted in December by Monroe Community College’s Economic Development and Innovative Workforce Services Division in collaboration with the Center for Governmental Research and the Rochester Business Journal, was developed to inform strategies in addressing workforce challenges and drive future MCC program development.

A total of 400 individuals from area businesses responded to the survey on topics covering skill needs, training and the business climate. The respondents represented advanced manufacturing, agriculture/food, business software/telecommunications, health care/life sciences, optics/photonics/imaging, and tourism industries. Questions were modified for the health care cluster to better gauge the industry’s skill needs, and the data are broken out in the report.

Some significant findings of the survey:

• Most employers intend to hold the line on hiring, with more aiming to increase rather than decrease their workforce in the future. Fewer employers plan to reduce the size of their workforce, compared with results of the previous survey conducted in March 2013.
• In using data collected from survey respondents to capture a broader picture of the labor market outlook, the report shows Finger Lakes region has an estimated 26,000 positions that are chronically difficult to fill across a range of occupations, less than 5 percent of total occupied positions. When recruiting job candidates, most employers say they seldom search outside the region. They feel that increasing salaries by 20 percent or less would attract a larger pool of job candidates for these positions.
• Most of the persistently unfilled positions require short- or moderate-term training delivered on-site. Most common training topics are quality and customer service.
• Employers in the health care field plan to provide on-site training for their workforce using internal talent. Ninety percent of respondents indicated they will provide training to their workforce within the next year. The three most frequently cited areas of training need include quality, customer service and HIPAA compliance.

MCC plans to conduct this survey twice a year to stay on top of changing workforce needs of local industries. Businesses interested in participating in future surveys can click here to opt-in.

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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