Initiative Highlighted by Legislators O’Brien and Morelle at Today’s Event

ROCHESTER, N.Y. –March 7, 2014- As part of the Opportunity Agenda, MCC’s Accelerated Precision Tooling Certificate program will enable Rochester’s El Camino neighborhood residents to obtain education and hands-on training in advanced manufacturing, earn a certificate in half the normal time, and find employment within a year. Participants in the program, which will be funded by $100,000 from the state, are anticipated to begin in September 2014.

MCC has already tested this workforce development model. In response to local manufacturers’ immediate need for skilled workers, MCC developed the six-month accelerated certificate program in spring 2013 in partnership with the Rochester Technology and Manufacturing Association (RTMA). Thirteen displaced workers and military veterans in the nine-county region participated in the program and earned their certificates in October. Upon completing the program, they received job placement assistance from RTMA, and 10 found employment.

Currently, 16 displaced workers and military veterans are participating in the accelerated training program at MCC’s Applied Technologies Center. Classes, which began Feb. 24, are held evenings. The participants bring with them a range of professional experience. A few of them hold bachelor’s and master’s degrees and are looking to re-enter the industry or change careers.

With financial assistance from RTMA and through the federal H-1B Advanced Manufacturing Career Pathways grant, participants receive education and hands-on training in machining at no cost. Upon completing the program, they will receive job placement assistance from RTMA and have the opportunity to continue their education down the road toward an associate’s degree in machining.

Opportunity Agenda is a coordinated approach by the regional economic development councils to address the needs of a high poverty neighborhood within the region.

“For anyone seeking employment in the new economy, some postsecondary education is necessary. MCC plays a central role in removing barriers so that individuals facing the most significant challenges can build stronger futures,” said MCC President Anne M. Kress. “When you look at where the job openings are now and will be in the long run, advanced manufacturing is a high-demand, high-tech field that offers exciting and sustaining career pathways. I’m very pleased that our state legislators support our vision and efforts in creating opportunities for economic and social mobility, one neighborhood at a time.”

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

Representatives from area companies to meet students, community.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. –March 3, 2014– Students, parents and other community members can learn about careers in Rochester-area high-tech companies and meet industry representatives at High-Tech Exploration Night from 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, March 19, on Monroe Community College’s Brighton Campus, 1000 E. Henrietta Road, in the Warshof Conference Center, R. Thomas Flynn Campus Center.

Attendees will have an opportunity to explore engineering and technology programs at MCC as well as jobs in precision machining, optics manufacturing, electronics, mechanical engineering, and computer information technology. Some of the participating companies have produced Mars Exploration Rovers lenses, night-vision goggle components, 3-D movie projection systems, carbon-brake rotors for a Ferrari auto racing team, and Gorilla® Glass for touch screens.

Last year, the event drew about 150 attendees and more than 25 companies.

Sponsored by MCC and the Corning Incorporated Foundation, the event is free and open to the public. To register call (585) 292-3725. Parking is available in lots M and M1.

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

Award highlights college’s collaborations with businesses

ROCHESTER, N.Y. –Feb. 11, 2014– Monroe Community College has been selected as a finalist for an American Association of Community College (AACC) award that recognizes outstanding college-corporate partnerships.

It cites MCC’s work with the Corning Incorporated Foundation to help build educational opportunities in the optics field for area students and provide a pipeline of skilled workers for optics companies.

AACC’s annual Awards of Excellence is designed to highlight innovation and promising practices among two-year U.S. colleges.

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

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

As more people gain access to health care under the Affordable Care Act, more health care institutions in the Rochester area see a great need for qualified professionals who can serve as interpreters for medical providers and for patients who don’t speak English. Providers recognize that having a certified interpreter available can reduce patient readmissions, cut health care costs, and prevent unnecessary medical tests and procedures.

To address this growing demand for language and cultural services in various health care settings, Monroe Community College has teamed up with ECdata National Training Institute to offer a new Medical Interpreter course that prepares participants for certification exams that lead to industry-recognized credentials. The 48-hour course covers basic interpreting skills, medical terminology, Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice, and cross-cultural communication. Graduates can begin their careers as medical interpreters and advance in the field as language service coordinators, cross-cultural counselors, and interpreting and translation managers.

Classes begin Feb. 4 through March 20 from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays at 1057 E. Henrietta Road, Suite 100 (across the street from MCC’s Brighton Campus).

For more information about the program and/or to enroll, call MCC Corporate College at (585) 292-3771.

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