Skip to main content

MCC Daily Tribune Archive

Article Looks at Regional Workforce Training, Potential Impact of Proposed Federal Budget


The April 2 issue of the Democrat and Chronicle contained an article about new workforce education and training programs offered at area community colleges, including MCC.

Todd Oldham, vice president of Economic Development and Innovative Workforce Services, was interviewed about MCC’s new mechatronics certificate program, which will be offered in fall 2017, and the $6 million America’s Promise grant awarded to MCC as the lead institution of a consortium implementing a 48-month initiative, the NY INSPIRE project.

While the federal grant will provide a financial boost to local community colleges, the proposed budget by President Trump calls for a 21 percent reduction in U.S. Department of Labor-funded programs that would affect workforce education and training. In his interview, Vice President Oldham said he does not expect President Trump's proposed budget cuts to affect the $6 million grant..

The article also quotes lecturer Tom Keyes and one of his students, Elena Kern, in a mechatronics class at Eastman Business Park.

A video on the D&C web page shows a mechatronics student’s project demonstration. Mechatronics students write the computer code to turn on the motor and sensors on this mechanical system simulator and program it to move two pucks down each chute. This computer program simulates a factory automation system. Imagine the machine is a warehouse, the chutes are shelves and the pucks are boxes of goods that go on the shelves.

<https://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/2017/03/30/job-training-middle-skills-new-york-community-colleges/99452306/>

Tremendous thanks to Angel Andreu, Michael Heel and Heather Murphy for compiling the data requested by the reporter!

Hency Yuen-Eng
Marketing and Community Relations
04/05/2017