SUNY Ulster was recently selected as a partner in IBM’s “New Collar Jobs Initiative,” which provides apprenticeships to students for tech jobs that require a significant amount of training but not a four-year degree.
Coined by IBM CEO Ginni Rometty, “new collar” jobs are somewhere in the middle between professional careers (white collar) and trade work (blue collar) – meaning they combine technical skills with a knowledge base rooted in higher education.
According to a release from SUNY Ulster, there are approximately six million unfilled jobs as a result of an unskilled and under-skilled workforce, and programs like this could help fill that need.
“SUNY Ulster is proud to be partners with IBM in defining and preparing the new technology workforce of our future,” notes SUNY Ulster President Dr. Alan P. Roberts. “Students are being navigated through our high-ranking computer science program and then placed in an incredible apprenticeship opportunity. We are fortunate to leverage this partnership between industry and higher education to benefit our students’ success.”
John Sheehan, Coordinator of SUNY Ulster’s Computer Science program adds, “We’re very excited to partner with IBM to provide innovative new technology education programs to prepare our students for the skills needed to meet the high demand for new collar workers. Through these apprenticeships and specialized programs in computer science, engineering, and computer networking, we will be better positioned to help our graduates obtain high paying careers while also supporting the long-standing role of the Hudson Valley as a place where IBM fosters cutting-edge technological innovation.”
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