ORISKANY, NY -- There is life after layoff. At least that’s what Governor Andrew Cuomo intends to promote for displaced workers in Central New York.
The Governor announced today that New York State will use over $812,500 in federal funding to retrain 270 Orion Bus employees who were laid off recently. The Department of Labor will partner with the Workforce Investment Board of Herkimer, Madison and Oneida Counties to develop specific training programs targeted at retraining and connecting workers with new jobs in emerging fields in New York State.
New York State Department of Labor Commissioner Peter M. Rivera said, “When you’re told you’re going to lose your job, you start to question how you’ll accomplish basic things like feeding your family.”
Some of the certificate and degree programs being offered are advanced manufacturing, environmental technology and information technology, among others.
Displaced workers will be contacted with the opportunity to enroll in the training programs. During and after the trainings are complete, both agencies will coordinate local and state-wide employers to place these workers in new jobs.
Oneida County Executive Anthony J. Picente, Jr. said, “The workforce at Orion includes some of the best workers in Oneida County, with a great work ethic and outstanding levels of experience…I want to thank the State for its support of our efforts. Working to help Orion workers has been a partnership effort from the start. In a time of scarce resources, I appreciate the State’s investment in the people of Oneida County.”
More information about the availability of the funds and how they were divvied out can be found at: www.labor.ny.gov or by calling (315) 793-2716.
