New York state is awarding its first round of strategic workforce development grants, and about $1.2 million is heading to CenterState CEO in Syracuse.
CenterState CEO Senior Vice President for Inclusive Growth Dominic Robinson said it’ll be a big help ahead of Micron’s arrival.
"For us, this is a chance to really get people prepared starting now, so that when those opportunities come, they are going to be on the table,” said Robinson.
A grant of $1 million is earmarked to help prepare unemployed and underemployed people from historically marginalized communities for advanced manufacturing and IT careers. Robinson said one of CenterState CEO’s priorities is to make sure Micron’s investment is felt as equitably as possible in the community.
"What we know is there are a lot of folks out there who are capable of doing this work who are capable of having success within these career pathways. However, we also know that a lot of those folks face all kind of barriers," said Robinson.
The organization is also getting a $264,000 grant to continue to build capacity within the Syracuse Build initiative, which works to create a reliable pipeline of workers in construction related trades. Robinson said down the line, he’d like to see some of the program’s best practices expanded throughout Onondaga County and into nearby counties.
"It's going to take a regional approach to meet the labor demands of Micron and all that they're investing and all the other ancillary investments that come with them," he said.
