[ OUR INITIATIVES ]

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

Workforce development has always been the focus of the University Center for Academic and Workforce Development (UCAWD). At the direction of the Chancellor's Office, the UCAWD has taken the lead in coordinating the University's role in the implementation of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) in New York. In this capacity, UCAVM has represented the University in interagency discussions and has also proposed a set of guiding principles for campuses. These principles ensure a pivotal role for the University in the creation of a unified workforce development system by securing:

• cooperation among University campuses to achieve the State's WIA requirements; and
• coordination of service delivery between campuses, local government agencies and business and industry.

Given its successful history of education, training and placing individuals in gainful employment and partnering with employers in New York State, the UCAWD is uniquely qualified to lead the University's workforce development initiatives. As coordinator of these initiatives, UCAVM will:

• provide outreach and assist business and industry to access technical training and skill development;
• promote research in workforce development and distribute a core of resources to University campuses and New York's employment training centers;
• create partnerships between University campuses and business and industry to develop a "school-to-work" and "work-to-work" system which will enable students to develop workplace skill, career competencies and job opportunities in the context of local labor market and economic development;
• develop a workforce education alliance with the New York State Department of Labor, New York State Education Department, University campuses, economic development agencies, business and industry, and interested legislators in order to meet the needs of employers; and
• assist local governments in maximizing their economic development initiatives.