- The Gateway Center at Westchester Community College. Wikimedia Commons photo by Astrocog
Westchester Community College was recently awarded a $150,000 grant from JPMorgan Chase to complete a report on job skills gaps in the region.
In a release, WCC said it will develop a Middle Skills Gap Report for the Lower Hudson Valley, which will focus on jobs requiring education beyond high school but less than a four-year degree.
The goal of the study is to identify middle skills jobs that regional employers would need to fill to remain competitive as well as the proper education and training needed for these positions. Citing a study from The National Skills Coalition, WCC said that 46 percent of jobs in New York through 2022 will be middle skills jobs, including many Westchester positions in health care, information technology and advanced manufacturing. WCC said it expects the Middle Skills Gap Report will be released by early 2016.
“Linking our educational offerings to actual jobs in the local workforce is a critical part of our mission,” college President Belinda S. Miles said. “This key research project will allow our institution, and many others responsible for training and educating tomorrow”™s workforce, to ensure we will be able to match academic programs with existing and future job openings and career opportunities.”
The grant was secured by the Westchester Community College Foundation. WCC’s Division of Continuing Eucation and Workforce Development will coordinate the project in collaboration with regional education, business, workforce and economic development agencies.
“New York employers are looking to hire individuals with advanced skills, but area job seekers often struggle to figure out which skills they need and where they can learn them,” said Chauncy Lennon, head of workforce initiatives at JPMorgan Chase. “Through research projects like this one, we”™ll identify the data to help drive the right solutions to address the gaps between New York employers and job seekers.”
