Creating Careers and Fortifying the Workforce

Article and Photos by Jessica McCafferty

When SB decided to find out what education was doing for business in the North Country, we were excited to see the various opportunities the region has to offer. CV-TEC is leading the way with an educational model strategically focused on cultivating local talent and connecting it directly with regional business and industry partners to meet workforce demands and encourage students to stay in the area.

Michele Friedman

I recently had a chance to tour the Military Turnpike campus in Plattsburgh with Champlain Valley Education Services (CVES) Executive Director of Career and Technical Education, Michele Friedman. It was an educational morning — pun intended. It was clear from our conversation Friedman has found her calling in what has, so far, been a 35-year mission to promote career and technical education as more than an alternative to college. When it’s a question of technical education vs. college, Friedman counters with, “Why not both?!”

When she graduated from SUNY Plattsburgh with her teaching certificate Friedman was unable to find a local, full-time teaching position. She took a temporary teachers’ assistant job working for what was then BOCES GED program, covering a three-month maternity leave to get exposure in the teaching field. “My first walk through these corridors changed my whole perspective,” confessed Friedman. She was amazed by what she saw in the classrooms. “Here I was, 22 years old and just having graduated college, seeing 17 and 18-year-old students working on equipment that I couldn’t even pronounce.”

Industry-Aligned Curriculum

Today, CV-TEC offers over 24 Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs for junior and senior level students from 16 component school districts in Clinton and Essex counties. Current enrollment numbers reach close to 900, plus an additional 200 young professionals and adults seeking further education each year. The course curriculum is aligned to industry standards and is regularly reviewed by advisory committees composed of industry professionals including CEOs and former graduates who are now leaders in their field. These committees convene twice a year to ensure program relevance, check equipment and discuss necessary certifications. “We currently maintain partnerships with over 400 businesses and industry entities,” shared Friedman proudly.

Work-Based Learning

“All of our programs maintain New York State Education Department accreditation so we must have work-based learning (WBL) opportunities as part of student experiences,” explained Friedman. “For example, high school students in a two-year program are required to have a minimum of 54 hours of WBL over 80 weeks, although they often get more. This form of WBL acts as a continuum, starting from job shadowing, moving to co-ops(paid and unpaid) and pre-apprenticeships. This allows employers to ‘test drive’ young professionals.”

The school also has a connection with several businesses in the construction and transportation sector who offer students on the job rotations and day-to-day operations, as well as exposure to peripheral opportunities in the field.

Early Credentialing and Employability Skills

Students graduate from CV-TEC with industry-recognized credentials, making them immediate assets to employers. For example, Allied Health students earn their New York State CNA license and are certified in phlebotomy and EKG by the time they graduate. Additionally, the training integrates core academic standards (math, science, ELA) by applying them to real-world tasks — for example, construction students learn slope formulas because they need them to correctly roof a house.

Essential professional skills are also mandatory. Every student completes a professional portfolio including a resume, cover letter, micro credentials, and training certificates on topics like sexual harassment prevention and OSHA 10 certification. They complete mock interviews, so they are prepared to answer prospective employers’ questions. “You can’t train young professionals to just be highly skilled. They have to be able to interact and communicate,” noted Friedman “You can’t just say, ‘I’m a good welder,’ you need to be able to articulate your good work ethic and understanding of expectations.”

Debt-free Career Pathways

Partnerships with companies allow students to transition directly into the workforce with significant support. An example of this is The Michelin Scholars program that hires CV-TEC graduates part-time and pays for their Associate’s degree at Clinton Community College, leading to full-time employment, at a higher-level position within the company after graduation and no college debt.

Specialized programs, such as the auto collision repair technology program, have partnered with Beta Technologies to create the only training program in the world for Aerospace Coating Applicator Specialists, which offers entry-level salaries around $85,000 annually. The first graduate is now the instructor in the program. “There are only 14 people in the world that currently hold this accreditation, and all were trained right here in Plattsburgh thanks to the Beta Technologies partnership,” Friedman stated proudly.

Direct College Credit and Articulation Agreements

CV-TEC programs are structured so that post-secondary college partners review the curriculum and grant credit based on the rigorous work students have already completed. Articulated credit allows students to “drop in where we left off” in a college degree program, meaning they often do not have to start from the introductory 101 level. For example, students in the Education Human Services program can receive 18 articulated credits, which is equivalent to a whole semester of college. Graduates of the New Visions engineering program earn 27 college credits in engineering or related fields and can start college as first-semester sophomores at institutions like Clarkson University, RPI or the University of Buffalo.

Just Getting Started

Asked about CV-TEC’s future, Friedman envisioned, “We are moving from a pathway for non-college-bound students to an integral, highly respected, debt-free, and career-focused component of every student’s program of study. This transition will be fueled by our beautiful, new CTE building currently under construction just down the Turnpike. It is on budget and on time, so that’s a bonus.” The new 155,000 square foot facility — scheduled to be online by September 2026, as well as a second CTE Center currently in the planning stage for Essex County —will be a major milestone for CV-TEC and a sign of positive change happening in the public perception of Career and Technical Education for the North Country.

CV-TEC

1585 Military Turnpike Extension

Plattsburgh, NY 12901

(518) 561-0100

www.cves.org