SyracuseCoE’s initiative to strengthen Central New York¹s industry cluster in advanced manufacturing of thermal and environmental control products enjoyed national attention on Wednesday when U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Thomas Perez visited The Fulton Companies and SyracuseCoE.
At Fulton Companies, Secretary Perez toured the plant and heard how 38 of their workers to date have benefited from training provided by SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry and MACNY through the AM-TEC program with funding from the Department of Labor. The Watertown Daily Times captured the spirit of the visit in a 2-minute video, below.
At SyracuseCoE, Secretary Perez met with executives from ICM Controls, NuClimate Air Quality Systems, and Ephesus Lighting, and he participated in a roundtable moderated by CenterState CEO that included leaders of the Central New York business and educational communities. Participants gained valuable insights into national priorities and opportunities for regional initiatives.
Secretary Perez used his visit to CNY to announce the availability of approximately $150 million in grants through the new Ready to Work Partnership grant competition. Projects selected for funding in will support and scale innovative partnerships between employers, nonprofit organizations and America’s public workforce system to build a pipeline of talented U.S. workers and help those experiencing long-term unemployment gain access to employment services that provide opportunities to return to work in middle- and high-skill jobs; see http://www.dol.gov/opa/media/press/eta/ETA20140293.htm.