Skip to main content

MCC Daily Tribune Archive

FAME Event Highlights How Industry, Education Work Together


Leaders in business and education from across the region will gather at Monroe Community College on Jan. 28 to discuss partnerships that will better prepare young and mid-career workers for current and future jobs.

The event is sponsored by the trade group Finger Lakes Advanced Manufacturers’ Enterprise and called “Driving a New National Skills Policy: Why Local Partnerships Like FAME Make a Difference.”

The conference runs from 4 to 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 28, at Monroe Community College's Warshof Conference Center, R. Thomas Flynn Campus Center on the Brighton Campus, 1000 East Henrietta Road. Registration is required. The $25 fee is waived for educators at the online site: www.nyfame.org. Parking is available in lots M and M1. For details, call (315) 521-7826.

The keynote speaker is Andy Van Kleunen, founder and executive director of the National Skills Coalition, which campaigns for policies that will ensure a stable supply of 21st century “middle-skill” workers. The term middle-skill refers to jobs that require more than a high school education but not necessarily a four-year degree.

Van Kleunen will discuss key workforce topics, including the new WIOA (Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act) funding that has been restructured to favor partnership strategies.

“No sector can operate in a vacuum. We need schools and colleges to train tomorrow’s workers, but they can use our insight to make sure they are teaching the most relevant skills and knowledge,” said Mike Mandina, chair of FAME. “Andy will help bring focus and force to this idea.”

Anne Kress, president of Monroe Community College, will give the welcome, and Mandina will update attendees on FAME initiatives. The event will feature a discussion panel on building business and education partnerships, the presentation of the Star Award to an educator who prepares students for work in advanced manufacturing, and networking.

This event is hosted by the Finger Lakes Advanced Manufacturers’ Enterprise (FAME), Finger Lakes Workforce Investment Board (FLWIB), Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES), Finger Lakes Community College and Monroe Community College.

Photo of Andy Van Kleunen, courtesy of National Skills Coalition

    Hency Yuen-Eng
    Marketing and Community Relations
    01/13/2015