For Information Contact:

David Mathis
798-5908

UTICA – Oneida County Executive Ralph J. Eannace, Jr., today announced that emerging workers, college students and local teen-agers can sign up for top-quality workforce development programs over Thanksgiving weekend.

Eannace said there would be signup opportunities at the third annual "Call Mohawk Valley Home" display at Center Court of Sangertown Square Mall in New Hartford on Friday and Saturday and on Friday at the Working Solutions Rome Center, 252 West Dominick St., Rome.

"Home is a special place for all of us," Eannace said. "We want all of our young adults home for the weekend to know that their home is not just the place they knew when they were growing up. And we want our young people to understand the wide range of opportunities that exist for them. The Mohawk Valley is growing a diversified, new economy filled with successful employers that are competing worldwide and meeting the human services needs of our region here at home. There are great challenges and great careers right here."

"This has been a traditional time for college students to pre-register for the Oneida County College Student Corps for summer internships," Eannace said. The Oneida County College Student Corps allows Oneida County-based students to work as summer interns with local employers. Students are paid $7 an hour for 200-hour internships that provide them with tremendous professional experience and a greater understanding of the great career opportunities in Oneida County. "This program has funded more than 600 internships to help our college students get a look at the kind of future they can have here in Oneida County," Eannace said. "This program is a key to building a stronger workforce."

Eannace said the Oneida County Office of Workforce Development operates a wide range of programs for a variety of ages. Information on all of them will be available at Sangertown Square and Working Solutions Rome. They include:

Mohawk Valley Technology Training Project: Through a grant from the U.S. Department of Labor, this project offers three ways to help the region:

• Employed Workers: Employers can receive assistance to fund training for employees in technology, health care and education.
• Emerging Workers: College students nearing graduation in technology, health care and education can be eligible for assistance through this unique program that helps employers pay their wages for the first 7 weeks of employment. Students nearing graduation are encouraged to bring their resumes and leave them with "Call Mohawk Valley Home."
• Unemployed Workers: Area residents who need training to pursue careers in technology, health care and education can be eligible for scholarships of up to $2,500 per year.

AVE and PAVE: The Adolescent Vocational Exploration (AVE) and Progressive Adolescent Vocational Exploration (PAVE) programs work with high school students to help them explore careers, and gain work experience. In AVE (a one-year program) and PAVE (a two-year program), students receive a stipend for their work.

Junior Green Team: The Junior Green Team helps teens learn about careers in environmental occupations, perform community service and earn a GED. Participants receive a stipend for their work.

Project CONNECT: Many young people who left high school can succeed with the proper assistance – and many can return to school to graduate from high school. Project CONECT works with BOCES and the Cosmopolitan Center to help youth who have left school either return to school, earn a GED or gain work experience.

Ladder to the Future: Through a partnership with St. Paul’s Baptist Church and other local faith-based organizations, the Office of Workforce Development is helping disadvantaged youth learn about the programs and services available to them through the Working Solutions System, which includes centers in Utica, Rome, Oneida and Herkimer.

Youth Challenge: Working in partnership with Oneida County Communities That Care and other organizations, Workforce Development is helping young people across the county tour Working Solutions Centers and form closer connections between schools and the Working Solutions System.

"The day after Thanksgiving is a busy time, but we hope that our teenagers, college students and young adults will visit us either at Sangertown or at Working Solutions in Rome to sign up for programs that can help them learn, earn, serve or get a great start on a career here in the Mohawk Valley," Eannace said.

More information about these programs is available from the Oneida County Office of Workforce Development, 798-5908.