Chenango-Delaware-Otsego Workforce received a U.S. Department of Labor grant in the amount of $3,206,002, a media release said. The grant is an information technology/cybersecurity grant that provides funding for short-term training in IT, cybersecurity or manufacturing; longer term training in those fields; job placement after completion of the training and on-the-job training to reimburse businesses for in-house IT training of new employees, the release said.
Alan Sessions, outreach coordinator at CDO Workforce, said he approached colleges about offering training and said Misty Fields at SUNY Delhi's Office of Continuing Education was a "great supporter" of the program. The college set up a link for people to register for the grant and the classes it offers on its website, he said. All classes are fully online and can be started anytime. Students must complete their coursework by June 2024 to be eligible to get the grant.
People can take a variety of classes including ethical hacker, information systems security professional, administrative professional with Microsoft Office Master 2019, Cisco CCNA certification training, CompTIA Cloud+ certification training and information security training. Once the classwork is completed, students must take a test to earn their certificates, he said, and CDO Workforce will pay for the test.
In addition, students can take in-person courses at Fulton-Montgomery Community College, Sessions said.
Residents of Chenango, Delaware, Fulton, Herkimer, Madison, Montgomery, Oneida, Otsego and Schoharie counties, 18 and older with a high school diploma or equivalent, are eligible to register for the program, the release said. Individuals are eligible to receive up to $5,000 for tuition toward a certificate or degree. Sessions said most of the courses cost less than $5,000 to complete.
Sessions said there are "around 50 people signed up and registered for the program. A number have started IT training."
In addition to individuals being able to earn a certification through the grant, businesses can train employees and be reimbursed 50 percent of the employee's wages during the training program, Sessions said.
Interested individuals should visit www.delhi.edu/ceps/project-excite/index.php to enroll for courses and fill out the grant program registration.
For questions about the on-line certifications, contact SUNY Delhi's Office of Continuing Education and Professional Studies at CEPS@delhi.edu or 607-746-4545 or, for Project Excite's other funding, contact Sessions at cdoworkforce@gmail.com or call 607-432-4800 x 109.
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