SUNY Broome Awarded Grant for the Energy Workforce Development Network

On January 23rd, 2025, the Upstate New York Energy Storage Engine, one of the inaugural Regional Innovation Engines funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation, announced that SUNY Broome Community College is among the recipients of a $1.1 million grant awarded to workforce development projects for the battery industry—a bedrock of upstate New York’s economic development strategy.

As part of the award, the Engine launched its Energy Storage Workforce Development Network, bringing together community colleges, universities, and other training partners to address skills shortages for the expanding domestic battery industry. SUNY Broome will receive more than $200,000 to support the Engine’s broader mission of strengthening the battery technology value chain and establishing the region as a technology-driven innovation hub.

“Through strategic partnerships such as [with] BAE Systems and Binghamton University, as well as non-degree training programs, the College is leveraging these initiatives to introduce energy storage concepts to K-12 students while promoting community engagement through collaborations with organizations such as the YWCA,” said Christine Martey-Ochola, Associate Vice President and Dean of STEM and Workforce Development at SUNY Broome.

The college’s contribution to economic and workforce development in the region’s battery industry includes the following critical efforts:

Streamlining Industry-aligned Transfer Pathways and Expanding Hands-on Learning

In collaboration with BAE Systems and Binghamton University, SUNY Broome has established a transfer pathway designed to support community college students transitioning into engineering degree programs at Binghamton University. So far 20 engineering students at SUNY Broome have participated in a six-week hands-on course aimed at introducing students to the power and engineering management field. These students can eventually pursue bachelor’s degrees in engineering at Binghamton University.

Additionally, SUNY Broome offers non-degree training programs for adult learners to help individuals transition into or advance within the clean energy sector. These non-degree programs leverage Battery Academy, a microcredential training platform made possible through investments by the New Energy New York (NENY) initiative. NENY, led by Binghamton University, brings together a robust coalition of diverse partners across academia, non-profits, community organizations, incubators, and government agencies to grow a competitive battery development and manufacturing hub.

Building Capacity of K-12 Educators Around Emerging Industries

SUNY Broome is developing an energy storage learning module for integration into high school science, technology, and career and technical education programs. The college hosts train-the-trainer events for K-12 educators during the summer to build the capacity of local schools around the emerging industry and ensure effective implementation. This approach empowers teachers to understand and incorporate cutting-edge curricula into classrooms across the region, broadening its impact and providing students with an introduction to energy storage concepts as well as career pathways in the battery manufacturing industry.

Broadening Community Partnerships And Industry Awareness

The YWCA of Rochester and Monroe County, in partnership with SUNY Broome, is working to expand workforce and educational opportunities to the broader community. This summer, the YWCA will lead an energy storage training program featuring a weeklong, hands-on residential workshop at SUNY Broome. A cohort of students from the Rochester, New York area will participate in STEM-focused activities designed to teach key energy storage concepts and inspire interest in careers within the field.

Expanding Economic and Workforce Development Partnerships with Universities

SUNY Broome’s work is part of a larger network that includes institutions such as Syracuse University, Alfred University, and Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). Together, these partners are addressing workforce gaps through programs that provide workforce training and experiential learning opportunities.

Additionally, the Upstate NY Energy Storage Engine’s Workforce Development Network is expanding to include additional community college partners, which will enable SUNY Broome’s programs to cross-pollinate across other institutions and reach a wider student population. Through a willingness to share its curriculum and program strategies, SUNY Broome is supporting regional capacity building by helping other institutions implement similar initiatives, increasing the availability of energy storage education across the region.

As part of New America’s Accelerator for Community Colleges in the Innovation Economy, SUNY Broome has access to no-cost technical assistance, storytelling, and a community of practice. Launched in 2024 in partnership with the U.S. National Science Foundation, the Accelerator offers peer-learning, best practices, recognition, project funding, federal policy engagement, and virtual as well as in-person convenings to build the capacity of the community and technical colleges in the U.S. National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Regional Innovation Engines which were investments catalyzed under the CHIPS and Science Act.

Community colleges such as SUNY Broome play a vital role in regional innovation and economic development. The work in upstate New York is exemplary of how federal investments from the NSF are growing the innovation economy and expanding community college pathways to the future of work and the American Dream.

Community college leaders have voiced concerns about budget cuts to NSF stifling community colleges’ contributions to revitalizing local economies in emerging fields. Therefore, sustained investment is essential to expanding their capacity as catalysts for regional economic growth by equipping the workforce with skills for emerging technologies. As more community colleges partner with economic development efforts like NSF Engines, this support will be all the essential to meet industry needs for the jobs of today and tomorrow.