The International Alliance of Nanotechnology Regions (IANRegions) and co-host Saratoga Warren Washington Worforce New York coordinated the first formal meeting of the Tech Valley Workforce Consortia held October 16, 2006 at the Luther Forest Technology Park in Saratoga County, New York. 

The Consortia, which includes IANRegions, BOCES, NYS Department of Labor, Tech Valley Workforce Investment Boards, Adirondack Community College, Hudson Valley Community College, Schenectady County Community College as well as local school districts among others is dedicated to benchmarking best practices and establishing a regional strategy for workforce development and training. It emerged as a result of IANRegions' Workforce Development forum and the follow-on submission of a Community Based Job Training (CBJT) Nanotech grant targeting workforce training to support the nanoelectronics industry. 

The meeting was sponsored by National Grid, Saratoga Economic Development Commission, The Southern Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce and Zone 5.  

Looking first at some of the industry’s best practices, participants learned about Portland Community College's Microelectronic Technician Associate Degree Program.  M + W Zander (an engineering and construction management firm) followed with their analysis of ramping construction workforce needs.

The meeting provided an excellent opportunity to discuss experiences and lessons learned.  A second goal was to identify the current workforce development activities and establish a framework for collaborative planning and implementation to move New York forward.  If you are interested in participating in future planning meetings, please subscribe to our mailing list. 

The next meeting is planned for February 2007 – date and location TBD.

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