As Chair of the Labor Subcommittee on Emerging Workforces and member of the Labor committee, Assemblymember Harry B. Bronson (D-Rochester/Chili/Henrietta) is co-sponsoring pivotal legislation as part of a “Prepare Our Workforce” initiative aimed at providing students with an opportunity to be better prepared for entrance into the workforce.

“As Vice President Biden pointed out, manufacturing jobs are coming back, but the training that students need to fill those good paying, local jobs is not there,” Assemblyman Bronson said. “The ‘Prepare Our Workforce’ initiative is an approach to train students to fill the ‘middle skills’ gap.”

The initiative includes two bills, one would establish a new pathway to graduation for New York high school students – a Career and Technical Education (CTE) diploma (A.8189), and the other would provide critical funding to train workers in advanced manufacturing (A.7673).

A CTE diploma would be an effective means of incorporating the option of learning “middle-skills” into high school curriculum. Too often, high school students who don’t have the means or desire to attend a four-year college are left ill-prepared for the workforce. A CTE diploma would give students the option to replace some electives with technical classes through BOCES, including machining, IT development, manufacturing and health-related training. Core classes would still need to be completed, but by allowing students the opportunity to learn skills in a specific trade, they will receive real-life training before graduation to help them start a meaningful career.

The advanced manufacturing funding bill would provide state funding to educational institutions, such as Monroe Community College, not-for-profits, industry public-private partnerships and individuals for the training and certification needed to enter the field of advanced manufacturing. Specialty training courses in advanced manufacturing can run upward of $5,000 each. Also, employers hiring for jobs requiring specific, technical skills would save on training costs for new employees.

“We need to help offset training costs for local employers and better prepare our workforce for quality jobs right here in the Rochester area,” Assemblymember Bronson said. “Providing funding and training for students will be a major win for our economy, businesses will save money on training costs, and job candidates will be in a better place to find good paying jobs.”

Governor Cuomo has included an expansion of the P-TECH program in his Executive Budget to provide Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) focused education for high performing, at risk students, an idea he supports and will fight for Rochester to be included, Assemblyman Bronson noted.

Individuals who would like to support the “Prepare Our Workforce” initiative can sign a petition on Assembly Member Bronson’s webpage, found here: http://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/Harry-B-Bronson/story/54919.