By Conor Eckert
Workforce development and economic development are symbiotic. In order to execute a high-level economic development strategy in the 21st century, a focus on workforce and in-demand skills is crucial. A talent pipeline becomes even more crucial in the high-end sectors that we’re actively working to attract – mainly advanced manufacturing, food/beverage, microelectronics, clean energy, and life sciences. We’re resolute in our commitment to workforce development – which is now the great equalizer in economic growth.
The Orange County Partnership and our colleagues in county government have been working closely with leadership at SUNY Orange on advancing partnership opportunities between higher education and the private sector. SUNY Orange has been a dynamic workforce development partner – recognizing our efforts to grow the cannabis manufacturing sector, the college secured a $1-million grant to develop a cannabis/advanced horticultural program in partnership with community colleges across the Hudson Valley. This is just one example of creative workforce development programming that the economic development and educational community have and will continue to collaborate on.
Recently, we’ve spent a great deal of time with Pine Bush High School, at the Gene Haas Center for Innovation. The Innovation center is a STEAM/Manufacturing training center aimed at providing students with skills and experience in advanced manufacturing and engineering, leading to industry credentials. Graduates of this program have gone on to work at local companies such as Pratt and Whitney Aerospace, among others. This skills training model is scalable, especially given the state and federal monies available aimed at creating a next-generation workforce.
A 1–5-year talent pipeline is no longer satisfactory in corporate site selection. We need to cultivate a 10-year talent pipeline in order to stay competitive in the advanced manufacturing sector. This means that we need to work with our institutions of higher education and our high schools to develop a skills pipeline. The achievements at Pine Bush High School offer a scalable model, and a micro-fix for a macro workforce problem. In the coming months, we will continue our workforce development efforts with one key goal – positioning Orange County to accommodate advanced economic development.
