Nearly $1.8 Million in Total Funds Awarded to Campus
POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. — AUG. 22, 2022 — Dutchess Community College (DCC) has been awarded three grants from SUNY System Administration, each of which will support various elements of the greater Dutchess County workforce development landscape. All totaled, they approach $1.8 million in new funding over a three-year span.
The largest of these is a three-year, $1.49 million grant to establish a SUNY Future of Work Center at DCC’s new Mechatronics and Workforce Development Labs, located at DCC @ Fishkill. The Future of Work Center will create short-term, degree-eligible and non-degree credential programs which quickly address employer skill needs and prepare job seekers – especially those from underrepresented communities – for careers in high-growth industries. The grant provides the start-up funds needed to develop curriculum – in collaboration with regional businesses – and deploy marketing tactics to prospective employers and students.
“This Future of Work Center grant aligns nicely with the strategies of Dutchess County’s Workforce Investment Board (WIB), as well as its Economic Development Advisory Council’s Education and Workforce Committee, to close the skill gaps and create pipelines to good paying jobs,” explained DCC President Peter Grant Jordan.
In addition, DCC received a $200,000 grant in support of its Noncredit-to-Credit Pathways and Microcredential initiatives, designed to create or enhance educational pathways for learners focused on the training needs of local businesses and organizations.
These include two pathways in healthcare, starting with Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) and EMT Basic programs that can lead to Nursing and EMT/ Paramedic degrees; one pathway in Business, a Bookkeeping microcredential which can lead to a degree in Business Administration; and one in Information Technology, starting with a Networking for the Cloud microcredential that can lead to a degree in Computer Information Systems.
The grant also provides comprehensive academic and non-academic wraparound support to promote student success.
Lastly, DCC received a $70,000, three-year sub-award for its role in a workforce consortium that is part of SUNY’s Cannabis Workforce Development Grant Program. This project is a “hub-and-spoke” model, with SUNY Orange serving as the lead institution, and Dutchess, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster and Westchester community colleges as partners.
This grant supports the emerging cannabis industry by providing industry, business and curriculum development, education and training, student supportive services, and outreach and marketing. The project focuses on developing and implementing an employer-driven sector strategy, with a preference to serve populations who have been disproportionately impacted by the war on drugs (also known as cannabis prohibition).
“These projects fit squarely in the crosshairs of what our business community so urgently needs from us,” Dr. Jordan added. “Our grant applications received letters of support from the County Executive, Council of Industry, IBM, Global Foundries, the WIB, Dutchess BOCES, and more, and we are grateful for their support and trust in us as stewards of these investments, as well as the development of their soon-to-be business colleagues.”
To learn more about any of these programs, including how you might enroll or your business might participate, please contact DCC’s Office of Workforce Education and Development at (845) 431-8900 or workforce@sunydutchess.edu, or visit them in person at 220/223 Bowne Hall on the main Poughkeepsie campus.
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