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Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced Monday that the Finger Lakes Workforce Development Center will soon be located on the downtown campus of Monroe Community College located at 321 State Street in the City of Rochester, Monroe County. This moves the center from its originally planned location at Eastman Kodak Business Park to a more central location on the downtown MCC campus. The new "MCC Forward Center" will be more easily accessible to students, residents, and community partners. It will support Eastman Kodak Business Park tenant companies as programs in skilled trades, advanced manufacturing, and industrial technology will be provided at the Center or as on-site contract training, while opening up this opportunity for support to additional businesses located outside of the business park.

"Investing in our workforce is essential for continued growth in Rochester and the Finger Lakes Region," Cuomo said. "The MCC Forward Center will provide a needed pipeline for in-demand technical manufacturing jobs - and this new location is a logical fit for the region, our partners at Monroe Community College and the businesses that will benefit from access to quality workers trained in the skills needed to succeed in today's economy."

Empire State Development President, CEO and Commissioner Howard Zemsky said, "As the State's economy continues to evolve, we need to give New Yorkers the necessary skills to compete in an ever-changing job market while giving businesses access to the trained workforce they need to succeed, and this move to MCC's downtown campus will continue to move the Finger Lakes forward."

The MCC Forward Center will take a multi-faceted approach to creating a 21st century workforce. The comprehensive, $11.4 million workforce development training complex will match in demand workers with the Finger Lakes area high technology companies that deal in energy, biomaterials, functional films and photonics. Photonics is the centerpiece of the regions Finger Lakes Forward economic blueprint. Over the next five years, the MCC Forward Center is expected to train over 2,300 workers and add $90 million in economic benefits to the region in the form of worker salaries and increased supply chain value. Added benefits include available space for long-term expansion while providing substantial savings in operating and staffing costs for MCC. This new, downtown location will be supported by a $5.4 million Upstate Revitalization Initiative grant as well as a $6 million NYSUNY 2020 Challenge grant. The project is expected to be completed in the Spring of 2023.

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