May 21, 2004: “Spotlight on Our Economy”
Monthly Column for The
Palladium-Times
By L. Michael Treadwell, CEcD, Executive Director of Operation
Oswego County
CCC, SUNY Oswego Support Business
Development
This month, Cayuga Community College’s
Fulton campus center celebrates its 10th anniversary of providing
quality education and occupational skills training in Oswego County.
Because a postsecondary education and/or
specialized training is the minimum required for most good jobs
today, an increasing number of students rely on community colleges
for their educational and training needs. Community colleges have
traditionally been the largest providers of occupational skills
training in the communities that they service. CCC offers programs
in varying lengths to students resulting in associate degrees, certificates,
or certificates of completion for short-term training. Some of these
programs include business studies, computer technologies, electrical
technologies, geographic information systems, mechanical technology
and telecommunications.
According to the U.S. Department of Education,
“in order to align program offerings to the needs of their
local service area, community colleges are constantly reassessing
the programs and services provided to ensure that students have
the skills needed to succeed in the workforce. At the same time,
they partner with the business community to stimulate industry and
job growth.” In Oswego County, CCC often serves as trainer,
technical resource, and advisor for community-building initiatives
that help support business development and job creation. The college
partners with individual employers for customized training or with
local organizations such as the Oswego County Workforce Development
Board.
CCC’s Business & Industry Center
(BIC) provides comprehensive services to Oswego County including
strategic planning assistance and assessment of company training
needs; custom-designed training programs and seminars; national
teleconferences; and credit coursework. The college also assists
area companies in developing in-house associate degree programs
for employees. More than 30,000 area employees in Oswego, Seneca
and Cayuga Counties have participated in skill upgrading training
since the BIC was established in 1985.
As part of its extensive continuing education
program, SUNY Oswego also works with business, government, and non-profit
organizations such as Operation Oswego County, to develop professional
training at its Institute for Professional and Organizational Development
at the Oswego State Education Center located in the Oswego County
Industrial Park in Phoenix.
The campus’ strategic location at the
southern end of the county offers even greater accessibility to
students seeking higher education and professional training. The
site, built in 1993, features four customizable, state-of-the-art
classrooms that can hold up to 50 students each. The Education Center's
newly renovated and upgraded computer lab holds 22 students and
has handicap accessible computers. A variety of topics such as leadership
skills development, project management, computer skills training,
employee selection and retention, diversity development and management,
human resources development, sales and customer service training,
and communications skills are included in the professional development
curriculum.
Not only does SUNY Oswego continually strive
to enhance the quality of education for its students and faculty,
it remains a significant asset to the community and plays a major
role in our local and regional economy. SUNY Oswego has an annual
economic impact of approximately $119.3 million in Oswego County
and provides 1,776 full-time-equivalent jobs, making it among the
top employers in the county and Central New York. The spending of
students, faculty and staff creates an additional 1,420 jobs in
Oswego County.
For more information about SUNY Oswego, visit
www.oswego.edu.
For Cayuga Community College, visit www.cayuga-cc.edu.
Recent economic development highlights in
Oswego County include:
- An initiative of U.S. Department of Homeland
Security, a new border patrol station will be constructed in the
city of Oswego. The facility represents an investment of $2 million
in the community and is expected to be complete in a year; and
- Sashes and Lace Furniture Gallery will
expand its 19-year-old retail home furnishing business in Pulaski
by relocating to a larger retail space and making improvements
on their existing warehouse. The project received financial assistance
from the County of Oswego Industrial Development Agency (IDA);
and
- The Oswego County Public Employees Federal
Credit Union will relocate to a new building to be constructed
in the city of Oswego. The project involves the redevelopment
of a vacant former Brownfield site and will create 10 new jobs.
The project received financial assistance from the IDA.
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