Issue Position: Workforce Training and Investment

Issue Position

* Invest in community colleges so that Western New Yorkers can get the skills they need to secure a job

* Provide incentives for businesses to retrain their workforce, rather than ship jobs overseas

* Create a tax incentive for businesses who hire unemployed youth

Tim visits Industrial Support Inc.

Tim has always said that nobody works harder than Western New Yorkers. Our community has been shaped by the manufacturing industries that are a part of this region's history. Companies like Bethlehem Steel and American Axle employed thousands, and if you worked hard, your opportunities were limitless.

In today's global economy, we need to make sure that our young people, and those looking for work, have the skills they need to compete worldwide. That is why Tim has championed efforts to train and retrain workers, helping ensure that all Western New Yorkers have access to the job training programs they need to excel.

Tim has sponsored legislation that provides incentives for businesses to retrain their workforce, rather than ship jobs overseas. He has also spearheaded a program that would create partnerships between community colleges and private companies to re-tool incumbent workers, train them on new technologies and keep them in their jobs. The partnerships would also allow for those in training programs to have a job waiting for them when they graduate.

One of the keys to a strong economy is an investment in our young people. For that reason, Tim is leading an effort to connect at-risk youth with career opportunities through the New York Youth Works Program. For those unemployed and on government assistance, Tim is sponsoring legislation to create an incentive to attend a four-year college. In that same vein, Tim created a tax incentive for small businesses who hire unemployed college graduates.

Tim believes that if we can provide people with the tools to support themselves independently, we will strengthen our economy and save New York State millions of dollars.

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