Commerce Chenango members and school superintendents met in August 2023 in Norwich, to collaborate on connecting local graduates with local job opportunities in the county. (Submitted photo)

by Sophia Root,

Commerce Chenango

Commerce Chenango will host a “Superintendent Summit” on Wednesday, January 15, at the SUNY Morrisville extension on Conkey Avenue in Norwich.

The meeting builds upon ideas discussed from an initial gathering in August 2023, where school superintendents and business leaders from Chenango County collaborated to address the challenge of connecting local high school graduates with job opportunities in the area.

"We are very excited to partner with Morrisville and our area superintendents on continuing this initiative," says Sal Testani, Commerce Chenango President & CEO. "This is the most important initiative we are working on, as filling our current job openings is our number one priority."

The August meeting sparked several promising developments, including plans for site visits and micro-credentialing programs. A partnership with DCMO BOCES and CDO Workforce was established to identify essential skills and curriculum content for these micro credentialing programs.

Sarah Casscles, Director of the Norwich Morrisville Campus, has already made significant progress by developing a certificate program in manufacturing. The curriculum was shaped through consultations with industry leaders, including Stacy Zorda from Unison, a GE Aerospace Company, and Frank Crawford from Kerry. Unison is now working with Morrisville to expand the program to serve both high school students and adults.

The first cohort of twenty Chenango County high school seniors will begin the manufacturing program in 2025. Additional certificate programs are in development, including a Customer Service program requested by NBT Bank and Preferred Mutual Insurance Company, scheduled to launch in spring.

"The sky is the limit as to what I can offer with these certificates, as long as I can find staff; employees to teach these skills out," Casscles explains. Programs can be customized to meet specific business needs, with current employees serving as instructors. Each certificate program requires a minimum enrollment of 10 students.

As campus director, Casscles hopes that exposure to a higher education environment will encourage participants to pursue additional academic opportunities on her campus. According to Testani, the initiative will have significant benefits, "It will create more demand for housing and more demand for goods and services."

Commerce Chenango and SUNY Morrisville are exploring the possibility of establishing a workforce development center at the Norwich Campus to attract new businesses requiring training and development resources.

For questions about the Superintendent Summit and Certificate program, please email info@chenangony.org.