Corning Community College will recognize donors, friends, and community members that made the Academic and Workforce Development Center located at 318 Madison Avenue in Elmira, New York a reality on Friday, November 13, 2009 at 4-6 p.m. Witness history as the College dedicates the Cameron Manufacturing & Design, Inc. Academic Study Center.
The property, formerly known as the Harry J. Lagonegro School, was fully renovated by the Krog Corporation, based in Orchard Park, NY. The Academic and Workforce Development Center opened on August 20, 2007 to provide centralized comprehensive workforce development services and education and training programs to assist in the development and growth of a skilled workforce in our service region.
After several years of planning, two prominent community leaders, Dr. Floyd F. Amann, president of Corning Community College, and Tom Santulli, Chemung County Executive, integrated their visions resulting in a dynamic new facility to meet the education and workforce needs in our region. New York State and Chemung County officials secured over $5.5 million to cover building renovations that would ultimately house an array of local agencies and service providers to connect job seekers to education and employment opportunities.
In addition to Corning Community College academic programs and services, several community agencies partnered to provide workforce development services to job seekers and incumbent workers. The Elmira CSS Workforce New York Career Center, NYS Labor Department, GST BOCES, and Chemung County Department of Social Services Employment Services are located in the Center. The Economic Opportunity Program operates a drop-in child care center for the convenience of parents using the Center. Efforts are underway to strengthen partnerships with the Elmira City School District and four-year institutions such as Elmira College.
A Business Advisory Board comprised of regional manufacturers, Southern Tier Economic Growth (STEG), CSS Workforce New York partners, County government officials, and secondary school representatives meet regularly to discuss training needs and the coordination of regional workforce services. Recent accomplishments of this collaboration include the creation of new short-term career pathways in manufacturing, human services, and teaching assistant designed to assist individuals with obtaining essential skills for employment in less than six months.
The Center has become a licensed WorkKeys® Test site to administer and score WorkKeys® assessments in response to business needs. WorkKeys® is a job skill assessment system that measure skills employers believe are critical to job success. A WorkKeys® pilot for manufacturing is fully implemented allowing job seekers to complete an assessment of existing skills and use available customized curriculum to improve their skills for employment openings with participating manufacturers.
Brenda English, director of the Academic and Workforce Development Center, reports the Center offers an array of credit, non-credit training courses and services to assist residents in acquiring current skills for employment. New students can complete approximately 50 percent of their degree requirements in at least 13 degree programs by enrolling in courses offered at the Center.
Six new More After 4:00 programs are designed to assist individuals to complete an associate in applied science degree in two to three years by attending classes two evenings per week and Saturday mornings. Most courses are offered at the Center. New programs include Business Administration, Business Administration/Banking, Chemical Dependency Counseling, Human Services, Manufacturing Leadership, and Manufacturing Technology.
Three new career pathways in manufacturing, human services, and teaching assistant are available to assist individuals in obtaining essential skills for employment in six months or less. Short term non-credit training and professional certification courses are offered in Real Estate, Life Accident and Health, Child Abuse Recognition, Continuing Education for Insurance, Human Resource Boot Camp, and Leadership Development.
Special highlights of the Center include on-site student services, wireless network, writing and math learning centers, computer labs, drop-in child care, and student lounges.
Joan Ballinger, executive director of Workforce Development and Community Education, reports that utilization of the Center has dramatically increased, with enrollment doubling to over 1,000 students since fall 2007. Ballinger states, “This Center is about hope and opportunity, with the vision of strengthening partnerships to produce a highly trained and skilled workforce and vibrant community.”
This event is free and open to the public. For more information or to contribute, please contact the Office of Institutional Advancement at (607) 962-9458 ia@corning-cc.edu.
