NEWS RELEASE

Immediate:  September 10, 2018

Nassau Community College Receives $234,000 SUNY Grant to Expand Free Utilities Career Training Program

College Will Now be Able to Offer Veterans and Youth as Well as Women

Garden City, NY — Nassau Community College is pleased to announce that it has received a second grant, the current one amounting to $234,000, as part of SUNY’s Clean Energy Workforce Development & Training Programs for its innovative URGENT (Utility Readiness for Gaining Employment for Non-Traditionals) Program.

URGENT was launched in Spring 2017 by NCC’s Office of Workforce Development and Lifelong Learning in partnership with the region’s major public and private utilities and the Workforce Development Institute.  The program was developed to assist women obtain field jobs in the male-dominated utilities industry.  Participants attended 142 hours of classroom instruction, on-site visits and workshops for field positions in the utility sector at no cost.  Twenty-one graduates earned two industry certifications: Energy Industry Fundamentals (EIF) and OSHA 10.

According to Dr. Janet Caruso, Assistant Vice President, Workforce Development and Lifelong Learning, “We are very honored to be awarded this grant. It means that we will now be able to offer three, additional cohorts of the URGENT program — one for women, another for veterans and a third for youth (18-24).  This is a wonderful opportunity to support the launching of a career for people in our community and to enhance the economic development of the region.  I am excited to begin planning this new segment with our partners as we strive to improve upon our first successful program.”

NCC President Dr. W. Hubert Keen noted, “The URGENT program has been a spectacular success and has provided the training and tools necessary for our women students to start a career, to help bootstrap their families into the middle class, and provide well-trained workers for our public utilities.  Now with this additional grant, Nassau Community College will be able to provide this valuable training to two more deserving groups-veterans and young people.  This grant will enable more people than ever to receive the training necessary to start careers, help families, and enhance our communities. Two of the College’s missions and goals — to help the community beyond our campus, and the industries of Long Island, have been achieved in this program.  We look forward to expanding our footprint in the area of workforce development with successful programs like these.”

URGENT has been made possible by NCC’s Center for Workforce Development, the Workforce Development Institute, PSEG-LI, National Grid, NY American Water, Con Edison, the Town of Hempstead and the Town of Oyster Bay Workforce Development Boards, Nassau County Department of Social Services, Suffolk County Department of Labor and New York State Department of Labor.

For more information about this free career-training program, call 516.572.7487 or email cwd@ncc.edu.

Media Contact
Kate Murray 516.572.0611;

About Nassau Community College
Nassau Community College, part of The State University of New York, is an institution where almost 18,000 full- and part-time students and approximately 10,000 continuing and professional students start and continue their successful journey through higher education.  More than 70 fields of study are offered on a 225-acre campus located in the center of Long Island. As the largest single-campus two-year college in New York State, Nassau Community College maintains a national reputation for excellence. Visit www.ncc.edu for more information.