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

Partnerships strive to keep food and agricultural industries robust

Food manufacturing plants in the Finger Lakes region are thriving and fueling a growing demand for skilled workers in agricultural and food-related industries. Employment needs in these industries are expected to increase 4 percent to 20 percent annually for the next five years.

To help develop the skilled workforce needed to sustain the industries’ economic growth, Monroe Community College has created an agriculture and food studies certificate program that prepares individuals for careers and advancement in agriculture, food production and food processing.

The certificate program is part of the Finger Lakes Food Processing Cluster Initiative, a collaborative effort led by Rochester Institute of Technology’s Center for Integrated Manufacturing Studies to provide hands-on assistance programs, training, and partnerships that support economic growth and job creation in the food processing cluster.

The curriculum will focus on areas that local employers have indicated are important: presence and impact of pathogens and contaminants at various points of food production, principles of food safety and sanitation, and issues related to food quality assurance.

The program, open to all students, benefits unemployed and underemployed individuals with some postsecondary education and/or work experience. Graduates will be prepared for immediate employment in a wide range of positions.

Regional employers reported career opportunities as agricultural and food science technicians; food processors; wholesalers, retailers and suppliers; machine operators and tenders; first-line supervisors; farm and ranch managers; and sales representatives.

The certificate program, offered as a two- and a four-semester schedule this fall on MCC’s Brighton Campus through the college’s biology department, is approved by the State University of New York and registered by New York State Education Department.

For more information about the program and/or to enroll, call the Admissions office at (585) 292-2200 or visit www.monroecc.edu/go/agriculture. Deadline for admissions application is Aug. 18; classes begin on Sept. 2.

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

MCC’s Homeland Security Management Institute offers for-credit courses for first time in its history

ROCHESTER, N.Y. –July 16, 2014– As businesses, organizations and governments invest more heavily in homeland security and emergency preparedness to better handle catastrophic events, employment opportunities in the industry are expected to increase across many different fields within the public and private sectors.

Demand for expertise in homeland security and emergency management has increased over the past decade across the U.S. and is projected to grow by 22 percent over the next five years, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Recognizing growth in the homeland security job market, Monroe Community College has developed a one-year homeland security certificate program that prepares individuals to effectively prevent and respond to a broad range of incidents — from cyberattacks and acts of violence to terrorism and other manmade disasters.

Program participants get an overview of historical and current threats to homeland security and become trained in developing strategies to combat them and in deploying countermeasures.

The curriculum also covers natural disasters and examines an integrated emergency management system intended to serve all government levels.

The program benefits anyone interested in developing a solid foundation in homeland security and emergency management, including new high school graduates, returning military veterans, incumbent workers, public safety professionals seeking new skills, and displaced workers.

Graduates will be prepared for immediate employment in a wide range of positions — such as safety and compliance, enforcement, investigations, and dispatch and communications — within the public and private sectors. The fastest-growing careers within the homeland security industry include emergency management specialists, computer security specialists, security managers, airport screeners, private investigators and first responders.

The top employers of emergency management specialists in general are local and state governments, hospitals, power generation and supply services, and emergency and other relief services, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The certificate program is approved by the State University of New York and registered by New York State Education Department. It will be offered beginning this fall on MCC’s Brighton Campus, 1000 E. Henrietta Road, through MCC’s Homeland Security Management Institute (HSMI).

Since its inception in 2003, HSMI has provided noncredit education and training related to emergency management and homeland security. Starting in fall 2014, it is expanding its offerings into for-credit courses to meet the needs of diverse learners.

For more information about the program and/or to enroll, call the Admissions office at (585) 292-2200 or visit www.monroecc.edu/go/hsmi. Deadline for admissions application is Aug. 18; classes begin on Sept. 2.

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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