Jamestown Community College will work with several local businesses and organizations that will benefit from professional training funds supplied by the state.

The $3.1 million Workforce Development Initiative, funded through the Department of Labor and the State University of New York, is designed to help close the skills gap in many sectors of the economy.

“These awards will provide thousands of people with the training and skills they need to compete in today’s fast-growing industries, and ready to take on the jobs of tomorrow,” Governor Andrew Cuomo said during an announcement. “The state’s workforce must adapt in order to take advantage of the rapidly changing economy, and our Workforce Development Initiative is giving New Yorkers the edge they need to succeed.”

JCC will provide customized training to employees at Superior Grinding, SG Specialty Mold Components, Bush Industries, Southern Tier Environments for Living, Cattaraugus County, InTandem, and Napoleon Engineering Services.

Employees will participate in JCC’s Successful Supervision Certificate program, a 70-hour comprehensive, interactive supervisory training curriculum. Participants are trained in leadership skill building, supervisory success skills, effective communication, legal aspects of supervision, team building, and change management.

Governor Cuomo announced a $175 million statewide investment for the Workforce Development Initiative in May 2019. The initiative supports strategic regional efforts that meet short-term workforce needs, improve regional talent pipelines, enhance the flexibility and adaptability of local workforce entities, expand apprenticeships, and address the long-term needs of growing industries.

The state’s regional economic development councils play a critical role in recommending projects that align with their region’s economic and workforce development plans.