Northeast Regional Technical Training Center

About the Northeast Training Center

SUNY Cobleskill, through its Institute for Rural Vitality (IRV) has been at the forefront of the microcredential initiative preparing individuals with career readiness skills required in the workforce. With more than 2,000+ enrollments in the past 3 years, and an 87+% completion rate for microcredentials . The IRV has a proven track record of successfully educating participants, which includes individuals from underserved and disadvantaged populations. The delivery of these credentials is essential to meet current and future workforce development needs. Two strong partners in this field are the New York State Department of Transportation (NYS DOT) and the NYS Thruway Authority.

Mission Statement:

Our mission is to develop the workforce of the heavy equipment industry through the creation and delivery of non-traditional course offerings that are consistent with and complementary to credit-bearing course offerings.

Supporting the Mission:

Many of the technicians in the heavy equipment industry were not eager to enroll in a traditional college program when they first entered the workforce, which contributes to the industry's difficulty in finding qualified technicians. We have to promote education at the postsecondary level; however, we need to change the current mold. To diversify our educational offerings, we as a department have worked to develop a certificate program, industry training courses, countless industry partnerships, instructor development training, many micro-credentials, and have acquired hundreds of thousands of dollars鈥� worth of training aids, tooling, and other equipment. Doing all these things to support our mission has opened the door for endless opportunities and we need to capitalize on them. To perform these duties sustainably and profitably, we need support from outside of our department.

Partners We Work With:

The following industry partners have recently indicated an interest in participating in technical training being provided by the Northeast Regional Technical Training Center:

NYS DOT
NYS Thruway
Vermont State DOT
Salem Farm Supply
Java Farm Supply
Milton CAT
Anderson Equipment

IUOE 158
Callanan Industries
Randall Implement CO.
Finke Equipment
Lancaster Development
Peckham Industries
Cummins

Through SUNY Cobleskill鈥檚 partnerships and relationships with numerous companies in the heavy equipment industry. SUNY Cobleskill is able to develop curriculum that meets employer needs.

Testimonials:

鈥淚 liked the hands-on training and how the material we were learning was pertinent to our geographical location and issues.鈥�
鈥淭he learning environment was open and everyone felt comfortable being able to answer questions.鈥�
鈥淚nstructors were great about covering all aspects and catering to the group eager to learn.鈥�
鈥淭he facilities were immaculate, and the labs had such a variety of equipment to use during labs.鈥�
鈥淭he classes all pertained to our jobs directly.鈥�
鈥淚 would highly recommend this program to anyone. The teachers were very knowledgeable and had a perfect ratio of class to lab to break.鈥�

- VT Agency of Transportation

鈥淪implification of Electrical Diagnostic Codes was by far phenomenal鈥� - Todd White NYS DOT Region 1

Microcredentials

SUNY Cobleskill currently offers a wide- range of Engineering Microcredentials from online courses to in person classes. Badges/ Microcredentials are digital credentials that can be shared with employers to validate individuals' skills and achievements. Microcredentials are often featured on LinkedIn, Facebook, resumes, and email signatures.

Why Microcredentials?

Skills acquired in months instead of years
Stand out in a competitive job market
Stack microcredentials to earn credit toward a certificate or degree
Stay updated with current developments within your field

Cost?

We offer non-credit microcredentials as well as credit-bearing microcredentials
Cost is based upon the number of courses required for each microcredential

History

鈥淭he total cost of this Workforce Opportunity for Rural Communities (WORC) program is $1,962,182.00 and 100% of this is funded through a U.S. Department of Labor 鈥� Employment and Training Administration grant.鈥�

SUNY Cobleskill Awarded $1.9 Million Diesel Technology and Power Machinery Workforce Development Grant from US Department of Labor

College will develop innovative Agricultural Engineering Mobile Training Unit, and form connections between students, educators, and industry.

A Diesel Technology and Power Machinery Training grant award of more than $1.9 million from the US Department of Labor is reinforcing SUNY Cobleskill鈥檚 ability to develop skilled members of the workforce, and enhance opportunities for students. The grant will support initiatives in the College鈥檚 Agricultural Engineering Department, and aims to fortify the equipment distributor technician employment pipeline by establishing partnerships linking employers with technical educators and students. The resulting network will increase job visibility, create new opportunities for dealers to sponsor students, and lead to an overall improvement in the quality and quantity of Associate-degree graduates qualified to pursue equipment distributor technician positions.

Example of BOCES WBL Document >>

Work Experience Document Template >>