LOCH SHELDRAKE – SUNY Sullivan, in partnership with the North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters, is launching a new two-year Associate of Occupational Studies in Construction Technology degree program this fall. The new pathway program is specifically designed to help meet the growing state-wide need for a skilled labor force in construction.
Construction Technology AOS students will complete instruction and on-the-job training through the carpenters’ union apprenticeship program in Rock Tavern followed by additional courses in green building, accounting, communications, computer literacy and other studies at SUNY Sullivan.
Upon completion of the program, Construction Technology AOS graduates will have a mastery of the skills and knowledge required to find immediate employment or advancement in the residential construction industry.
Graduates can also use 61 of their credit hours from SUNY Sullivan toward a Bachelor of Technology in Construction Supervision at Alfred State College.
“Partnerships between industry and higher education are proven to produce successful students,” said SUNY Sullivan President Jay Quaintance. “This innovative pathway that leads to high-wage employment combines the best of apprenticeships and traditional college programs. On-the-job-training combined with the academic knowledge to support it ensure that these students will be ready for the ever-evolving 21st century building trades environment.”
“The carpenters union leads the industry in teaching the trade skills and professionalism needed to sustain a good-paying career in construction,” said Tom Fischer, director of the North Atlantic States Carpenters Training Fund. “This new partnership with SUNY Sullivan will expand opportunities we make available starting with pre-apprentice exploration and training programs, formal apprenticeship, and lifetime skills upgrade training. “
“With a need for skilled tradesmen growing and 89,000 openings for carpenters each year in the United States, SUNY Sullivan in partnership with North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters construction technology program is both welcoming and timely,” said Marc Baez, president of the Sullivan County Partnership for Economic Development.
“Tradespeople are the backbone of our economy, and we must train students to learn updated skills and to replace the seasoned workers now ending their careers in this most important industry sector,” Baez said. “With housing and commercial development demands increasing each year in our region, there will be opportunities for good-paying jobs with respectable benefits well into the future.”
