LadderzUP: a strategic partnership with MCC for regional workforce development.

EXCEEDING EXPECTATIONS

Monroe County committed to supplying the three- year LadderzUP program with up to $1.5 million for the implementation and management of both academic and non-credit training programs; this provides approximately 75 percent of the funding needed to cover the costs of the program over the three-year pilot period. With access to this funding, MCC delivers program curriculum, educational space and equipment, instructors, tuition, fees, books, and tools as necessary to address the financial requirements of any given curriculum and its learners. representatives in September 2017, stipulated that the program would recruit, train, upskill and place 210 workers annually, for a total of 630 over the first three years of the program. Since the program was unlike anything the county and the college had ever undertaken before, the numbers were estimates arrived at by the MCC team—the program was considered an experiment in what could be possible with appropriate funding aligned with industry needs and the college’s substantial technical teaching resources. The courses have spanned in duration from short-term topics that are covered over several weeks of class time to multi-semester courses, apprenticeships, as well as sequences leading to certification or other job-related credentials. Classes are designed to be modular and stackable, allowing students to continue on toward a college degree or further certification. Areas of focus for LadderzUP training, determined through ongoing consultation with industry and the county, have included health care, information technology, construction, and a variety of advanced manufacturing and applied engineering technologies. The agreement for this pilot LadderzUP partnership, signed by MCC and county

The county’s financial support eliminates a major expansion obstacle for businesses. At the same time, it allows employees and job seekers to better position themselves for promotion-oriented positions, armed with certifications in areas ranging from project management to Lean Six Sigma.

As of November 2019, 807 participants have participated in one of the programs, well over the three-year goal. Forty-one companies have been supported in that time through the creation and implementation of thirty-four employer-focused programs. Two companies have cited the availability of LadderzUP training in their decision to relocate to Rochester.

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