UTICA, N.Y. (WUTR/WFXV/WPNY-TV) – Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul came to the Utica/Rome area today to make job announcements and visit downtown revitalization initiative projects. The Lt. governor announced at Mohawk Valley Community College, that the school and SUNY Polytechnic Institute would receive $6 million.
The $6 million will go towards developing and renovating STEM labs at both facilities and computer science labs for artificial intelligence and rigorous training for upscale apprenticeship STEM programs for high school and college students.
“It’s a powerful statement of our priorities when we get these programs out to high school students,” Hochul said.” I mean it’s so hard sometimes young people may not grow up in a family where college was important to them or they may be part of our wonderful refugee community where this is something new.”
Hochul toured MVCC before making her announcement and she was shown the innovative work that is being done at the FabLab, like the 3D metal printer. MVCC administrators also spoke with Hochul about the 102 Remington Arms workers who came to the school after the factory shut down for almost a year in 2020, looking for a new career. The Lt. governor feels the $6 million will go far in helping those individuals and others like them.
“Let them find their way into the doors of these two great institutions and learn new skills,” Hochul said. “Something that’s again these are jobs of the future we’re not talking about jobs that could be obsolete before long or replaced by a machine, these are jobs that are important and the training is going on right here.”
She believes the money is beneficial to students, employers, but also to the overall economy.
“Because we will not have a full comeback in the State of New York and get people back to work which is what we are talking about here today, getting people back to work, without opportunities like these and investments made like we are doing here today,” Hochul said.
She also announced that MVCC will receive $500,000 towards their Next-Generation Manufacturing Training Program which will create online content providing apprenticeships with hands-on experience without requiring them to leave their work sites.
