SCHUMER DELIVERS NEARLY $1.6 MILLION TO TRAIN WORKERS FOR NEW IN-DEMAND SEMICONDUCTOR & HEALTHCARE CAREERS AND TO BOOST HIGHER ED INFRASTRUCTURE IN ROCHESTER
Schumer Personally Secured Funding To Boost In-Demand Job Training Programs, Including Healthcare Apprenticeships With Rochester’s Ibero-American Action League
Schumer Also Secured $$$ For Both New Semiconductor Training Initiative At Monroe Community College To Boost Fed Tech Hub Designation He Delivered Last Year From His CHIPS & Science Law, & Technology Upgrades at SUNY Geneseo
Schumer: New Fed Funding Will Supercharge Future Rochester Workforce
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer today announced $1,559,000 from Fiscal Year 2024 appropriations bills to support vital semiconductor and healthcare workforce training programs and higher education infrastructure upgrades in Rochester.
Schumer said the projects include a new semiconductor training program at Monroe Community College to bolster MCC’s role in new Schumer-secured Buffalo-Rochester-Syracuse Semiconductor Tech Hub, security and technology infrastructure updates at SUNY Geneseo, and a win-win initiative by Rochester’s Ibero-American Action League to train under-employed workers through a new paid apprenticeship program to become Community Health Workers, a workforce desperately needed post-pandemic, will deliver sustained economic prosperity and improved quality-of-life to Rochester communities.
“I am proud to deliver funding for these Rochester-area projects, which are investing in the next generation of workers — from training the future semiconductor tech workforce at MCC and technology infrastructure upgrades to bolstering technology and safety on SUNY Geneseo’s campus, to increasing access to job opportunities in healthcare in underserved communities through Rochester’s Ibero-American Action League. This funding will breathe new life into our Rochester communities, getting residents from underserved communities the hands-on skills they need to succeed in the workforce,” said Senator Schumer. “The pandemic showed us two things: we need to invest in healthcare and we can’t rely on getting our chips from overseas. And these awards tackle both those problems head on by training Rochester workers to lead the way in these in-demand fields.”
Schumer said the projects include:
$800,000 for New Workers Apprenticeship Program for the Ibero-American Action League, Inc.
This funding will be used to reduce the significant lack of providers of color in the healthcare system by providing paid apprenticeship opportunities to Black and Hispanic/Latinx Community Health Workers (CHW)s and Promotores de salud, (the Spanish term for CHW) from the Rochester community. There are only seven apprenticeship programs for Community Health Workers in New York State, and Ibero is currently the only organization sponsoring the program in the Finger Lakes Region. There is a shortage of community-level members who are prepared, trained, and connected to the community to respond to the needs of the region in a culturally relevant manner. Currently, public health outreach efforts are informal and often depend on volunteers to fill the gap. This investment will enable Ibero to increase the number of trained CHWs/Promotores de Salud for new well-paid careers and equip and strengthen them with skills to better meet the healthcare needs of underserved and medically-vulnerable communities in Rochester.
“Research has proven that Community Health Workers/Promotores De Salud are at the frontline of public health workers, and sustainable funding for those services is crucial to achieving appropriate healthcare access and positive outcomes for low-income Latinos and other underserved communities,” said Angelica Perez-Delgado, President & CEO of Ibero-American Action League, Inc. “I'm thrilled by Senator Schumer's support for our Community Health Workers Apprenticeship Program. This partnership promises to significantly enhance our ability to serve our community's health needs. We're deeply grateful for Senator Schumer's dedication to our mission and look forward to the positive impact ahead."
$259,000 for New Semiconductor Training Initiative at Monroe Community College
This funding will be used by Monroe Community College to address the pressing future need for technicians in the area of semiconductors and, more broadly, nanotechnology. U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, who co-authored the CHIPs and Science Act legislation that created a new federal Tech Hubs program, successfully led the charge last year that made the Buffalo-Rochester-Syracuse region the federal government’s designated Tech Hub for semiconductors, called the NY SMART I-Corridor Tech Hub. Schumer is now pushing to secure one of the first federal Tech Hub Implementation grants to enable the SMART I-Corridor’s work including a $17.5 million effort that will be led by MCC to partner with colleges and training centers in Buffalo and Syracuse to train the estimated 9,000 additional workers that will be needed to meet upcoming semiconductor jobs. Today’s investment is a down payment on these efforts. This investment also complements $3.5 million Schumer secured last year with Senator Gillibrand and Rep Joseph Morelle to help construct MCC’s new expanded state-of-the-art Applied Technologies Center (ATC) on the Brighton Campus along with over $5 million they secured to keep MCC’s critical optics training program in operation.
Monroe Community College President DeAnna Burt-Nanna said, “We are very grateful to Majority Leader Schumer for his steadfast leadership in securing $259,000 for Monroe Community College’s Semiconductor Training Initiative and for leading the charge, along with Sen. Gillibrand and Rep. Morelle, in securing $1.6M. for RochesterWorks Career Center relocation to our downtown campus. These investments along with efforts to secure $5M for MCC’s optics program will help promote workforce opportunities advance our shared mission for a better community.”
$500,000 for Technology and Security Infrastructure Improvements at SUNY Geneseo
This funding will be used by SUNY Geneseo to undertake an initiative to upgrade its technology, public safety, and power infrastructure to benefit its student body, faculty, and administration. Funding will be used to advance a multi-year safe campus plan to enhance its security and technology infrastructure. This investment will help make Geneseo campus a safer environment for students, faculty, staff, and visitors by making key infrastructure upgrades to ensure Geneseo has the latest technology to meet its evolving campus safety and security needs.
“Safety is among our top priorities at SUNY Geneseo. This funding helps ensure that critical infrastructure is in place to support our UPD as it protects our campus community,” said SUNY Geneseo President Denise Battles. “We are deeply grateful for Senator Schumer’s shared commitment to the safety of our students and campus community.”
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