Training Programs Get Year-End $7 Million Boost

The New York State Department of Labor has awarded more than $7 million in statewide workforce development grants to bolster skills training and employment opportunities. 

The funding, awarded as 2024 was winding down, directly supports businesses, educational institutions, and nonprofits with programs focused on job readiness, closing skills gaps, and career advancement. 

Grant recipients include several local and regional pre-apprenticeship programs - in which participants split their time between classroom education and vocational training in fields such as construction, healthcare, IT, and hospitality, to earn their high school diploma or equivalent that prepare people for union construction careers, such as pre-apprenticeship programs in which participants split their time between classroom education and vocational training in fields such as construction, healthcare, IT, and hospitality, to earn their high school diploma or equivalent.

 In all, more than $1.5 million is headed to programs in the Hudson Valley and Capital Region. The collection of awards represent several New York State grant streams, including Apprenticeship Expansion Grants (AEG); Direct Entry Pre-Apprenticeship Program grants (DEPA); Consolidated Funding Application Workforce Development Initiative (CFA WDI) and Rebuilding Together NYC (RTNYC).

“By investing in training and education, we are not only supporting individual career growth but also addressing critical workforce needs across the state,” New York Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon said. “This funding will have a profound impact on both our communities and our economy, ensuring that New York remains competitive and prosperous.”

Currently in New York, there are more than 17,000 apprentices participating in some 900 registered apprenticeship programs.  According to the United States Department of Labor, 94 percent of apprentices continue on with their employer after completing a Registered Apprenticeship program with an average starting salary of $80,000.

“As the State Education Department works to transform graduation requirements to better meet the needs of students and prepare them for tomorrow’s workforce, expanding apprenticeship opportunities is more crucial than ever,” New York State Education Commissioner Betty A. Rosa said. “Not only do apprenticeships offer one of the most direct pathways for students to enter into a career that will pay a living wage, but they can often be completed without the financial hardships that may come from student loans.”

The awards further focus on programs to uplift New Yorkers in disadvantaged communities, particularly the unemployed, underemployed, veterans, low-income residents and others facing employment barriers.

Grants by region:

Hudson Valley | $1,077,190

• Laborers’ Local 17 Training & Educational Fund; $165,500
• North Atlantic States Carpenters Training Fund; $195,000
• ShopRite Supermarkets Workforce Development Initiative; $251,690 
• Day One Early Learning Community; $270,000
• Rockland Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES); $195,000

Capital Region | $533,651 

• Ginsberg’s Institutional Foods; $300,000 
• Albany-Schoharie-Schenectady-Saratoga BOCES; $155,600 
• TEACHMEducation Services; $78,051

New York City | $2,111,481

• NYC District Council of Carpenters Apprenticeship Journeymen Re-Education Industry Fund; $125,000
• AIDS Service Center of Lower Manhattan; $250,000
• Research Foundation of CUNY; $250,000
• Union Settlement Association; $250,000
• Queens Community House; $225,996
• QSAC; $225,485
• Rebuilding Together NYC; $200,000
• Camille Gallo, LLC; $195,000
• Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow; $195,000
• Rebuilding Together NYC; $195,000

Central New York | $821,948

• Le Moyne College; $249,948 
• Callahan Management Training Center; $195,000 
• CenterState Corporation for Economic Opportunity; $195,000 
• Keith Titus Corporation; $182,000

Finger Lakes | $1,072,000 

• Foodlink; $300,000
• Eastman Kodak Company; $285,000
• Rochester Tooling and Machining Institute/Rochester Technology and Manufacturing Assoc.; $195,000
• Foodlink; $162,000
• NYSARC Inc. Ontario County Chapter; $90,000
• Ideal Manufacturing; $40,000

Long Island | $250,000

• Allstate Home Health Agency; $250,000

Mohawk Valley | $795,000

• Fulton-Schoharie Counties Chapter, NYSARC; $300,000
• Danfoss Silicon Power; $300,000
• The Indium Corporation of America; $195,000

Southern Tier | $218,869

• Faculty Student Association of Tompkins Cortland Community College; $103,869
• Community Options New York; $65,000
• The Raymond-Hadley Corporation; $50,000

Western New York | $130,000

• The Service Collaborative of WNY; $130,000