Jamestown BPU Deputy General Manager – Electric Kris Sellstrom and Business Development Coordinator Ellen Ditonto present a State grant to JCC’s Workforce Development Department. Seated, front, l-r, are JCC President Daniel DeMarte; Ditonto; and JCC Vice President of Workforce Development Holger Ekanger. Back Row (l-r) JCC Workforce Development Director, Jamestown Campus, Grant Umberger; Sellstrom; and JCC Building Automation Systems Instructor James Weiss
Jamestown Community College is receiving a $50,000 workforce development grant from the Jamestown Board of Public Utilities.
The funding is for successfully developing and implementing a Building Automation Systems Program in its Workforce Development Division at both the Jamestown and Olean Campuses. The program is part of the Retool WNY initiative launched through the Accelerate the Southern Tier program, a multi-year grant funded by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA).
The funding is the culmination of four years of work in curriculum development, recruitment and training of faculty, student recruitment and the successful completion of the program by 23 students in the last half of 2024.
“NYSERDA’s funding has certainly played a pivotal role in advancing our program, particularly in the areas of clean energy and automation,” said Grant Umberger, Director of Workforce Development at the Jamestown Campus. “A number of initiatives that are now underway on our campuses are built on the success of the NYSERDA grant and will add to the range of training opportunities in clean energy and skilled trades,” he continued.
BPU General Manager David Leathers pointed to the community’s need for building maintenance staff with training and certification in integrated building controls. “As companies look to connect their lighting, HVAC, security and fire systems into a single control system, there will be an increased need for BAS technicians. This certificate program is important to the success of our regional manufacturers and hopefully will help attract and retain technicians in our area,” he said.
The training kits required for the BAS classes are portable, allowing JCC the flexibility to provide this training at any of its campus sites. There are 120 hours of hands-on training in the program, with a focus on installation, repair and maintenance of computer-based control systems. The program is ideal for individuals responsible for commercial or residential building maintenance or those working in the electrical, HVAC or plumbing trades.
The next BAS cohort is scheduled to start March 18 with class meetings on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. Details can be found on the JCC website: https://www.sunyjcc.edu/workforce/manufacturing/building-automation-systems=
Leave a Reply