The Jamestown Community College Foundation was one of four not-for-profit organizations to receive funding from the third round of the Western New York Workforce Development Challenge, according to an announcement from Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office. The grant will be administered by the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo.
The $541,765 award will fund SUNY Jamestown Community College’s short-term advanced manufacturing training program that will prepare individuals for jobs in advanced manufacturing through CNC/Machining and maintenance technician programs in Allegany, Cattaraugus, and Chautauqua counties. The eight-to-10 week programs will include immersive training and trainee supports, preparing individuals for immediate entry into the workforce.
Holger Ekanger, vice president of Workforce Readiness, said, “We are very appreciative of the state’s investment in our vision to make workforce development programming accessible to our communities. This award will allow us to fulfill our promise to do more and better support the needs of the employers in our area and also continue our collaboration with local workforce development boards, organizations, and our generous foundations.”
About the Western New York Workforce Development Challenge
The Western New York Workforce Development Challenge is a part of Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s Buffalo Billion initiative. The program aims to assist the region’s workforce pipeline in “being responsive to industry demands, and invests in innovative approaches to workforce training for underserved populations.” Other organizations that received funding were Buffalo Center for Arts and Technology, Inc., Community Missions of Niagara Frontier, Inc., and Goodwill of Western New York.