A Highly Skilled Workforce

The Tioga County region (part of the Binghamton MSA) offers a large available workforce which includes a number of highly skilled workers. Less than 1% of the workforce is unionized, and over 60% of the workforce has managerial, technical or professional experience. Tioga County’s manufacturing work force is concentrated in high tech industries such as aerospace, electronic systems and equipment, and complex multi-layer printed circuit boards.

Productivity
A U. S. Census Bureau study (1999) analyzing the "Value-Added by Manufacturer" dollar ranked New York State 8th in the nation.  Within the State, productivity in Tioga County was outstanding with the  "Value-Added by Manufacturer" dollar at over $1.2 billion.  In comparison (Tioga County vs. regional MSA locations), the "Value-Added by Manufacturer" dollar is very competitive.  The workforce of Tioga County will add tremendous value to your business.

	Tioga County..	Albany MSA	Elmira MSA	Glens Falls MSA	Williamsport MSA
Value Added by Manufacturer ($1,000)	$1,200,337	$3,339,490	$765,645	$770,818	$1,189,394
Sources:  U. S. Census Bureau 1997 Economic Census & 1999 State Comparisons of Manufacturing

Education
Tioga County is located in close proximity to a number of highly rated schools and universities. Many of these nationally recognized institutions serve as Centers for Advanced Technology and offer cooperative programs in conjunction with local companies.

Institution	Enrollment..	Special Technology Programs and Related Activities
Cornell University College of Engineering	19,000	National Nanofabrication Facility, Electronics Packaging Consortium, Center for Theory & Simulation in Science & Engineering, Ceramics Program, Manufac. Engineering.
Binghamton University Thomas J. Watson School of Engineering and Applied Science	13,000	Center for Advanced Technology in Electronics Packaging Research centers on integration of semiconductor chips into larger microelectronics assembly process
SUNY Cortland	7,500	Cooperative Engineering programs

Human Resources

Recruitment

The New York State Department of Labor and the Tioga Employment Center will assist any employer with recruitment of employees. Job orders will be registered into a computerized skill matching system (Quicklink) that allows identification of registered job seekers by geographic area. Matches can be done locally, county-by-county, statewide, etc. Staff at the Employment Center, using job specifications and skill needs provided by the employer, will enter these orders. Orders will be updated as needed to ensure that appropriate candidates in the pool are accessed. Job openings will be displayed on the Job Bank and shared both statewide and nationwide through America’s Job Bank.

A customized mass mailing will be made to advertise openings, arrange job interviews and advertise Job Fairs for an employer. A company application will be included in mailings to speed the process of reviewing candidate qualifications. Applications can be distributed and collected from an existing network of employment and training agency members and returned to the company for review. This established regional network of employment and training agencies can quickly circulate information regarding employment opportunities with the company. A preliminary review of applicant data at the Employment Center will enable applicants to be identified as eligible for additional hiring incentives on behalf of the company, to increase the company’s ability to benefit from targeted tax credits and federal/state on-the-job training programs.

Job Fairs, if applicable, can be customized for the employer to attract and pre-screen applicants. We are proposing to hold several regional Job Fairs to access applicants from the two largest labor supply regions, namely the Binghamton MSA and the Elmira MSA. Job fairs will be coordinated, advertised, set-up and staffed by New York State Department of Labor and Tioga Employment Center personnel.

Space for further interviewing, at all employment levels, will be made available at the Tioga Employment Center and the Glendale Business Employment Services and Training Center. Representatives will be available as needed to perform recruitment, interviewing and job specific testing.

Recent Recruitment Experience

New or expanding employers in the area that have advertised their recruitment efforts have seen a tremendous turnout. The Best Buy Co., Inc. Distribution Center in Nichols, that opened in the first part of 2003, pre-screened over 1,700 applicants for jobs in Management & Warehouse Distribution. They did so with the help of the Tioga Employment Center and the NYS Department of Labor. Similarly, Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouse in Vestal , which opened in 1997, had a turnout of 600 applicants in three days. Sanmina’s Owego Division (Circuit Board Manufacturer) reports having over 70 job seekers through its lobby on the one day per week it accepts applications in person only.  The team effort of the Tioga Employment Center and the NYS Department of Labor can quickly and accurately process thousands of applications to meet an employer's workforce requirements. 

Listing of job orders, mailings and job fairs are methods to access the large labor pool in the region. This labor pool extends across six (6) New York State counties and several northern Pennsylvania counties, based on a commuting distance of 45 minutes. Workers in the region are familiar with commuting and have displayed a willingness to do so.

A study of commutation patterns in the region conducted by the Southern Tier East Regional Planning Development Board, using U.S. Census Bureau 2000 data, illustrates that over 55% of the 26,015 (14,360) working Tioga County residents commuted out of the County for employment. For the same recent period, there were 5,358 workers that commuted into the County, largely from Broome County, (which provided 2,870 workers). Nearly 10% of Tioga’s workforce commuted in from Pennsylvania, as well. A Mansfield University commuting and migration study (1993) from the Workforce Institute and Resource Center concluded that the region has very strong commuting ties as a whole, and stated that "Tioga, more than any other county, is linked through commuting patterns to the other counties in the region . . . Indeed, Tioga County’s borders are no obstacle when it comes to commuting patterns."

The Labor Pool

There is an ample labor pool in the region to meet the needs of employers, as evidenced by the concentration of active job seekers registered with the New York State Department of Labor. Currently, 18,000 job seekers are seeking employment using the New York State Department of Labor, and Network Agency Services in the six-county region.

Screening

Once recruited, screening of candidates can proceed as directed by the company. The Tioga Employment Center staff and that of the Glendale BEST facility would be available to assist with screening to the degree the company requests. Screening would be an integral part of a strategic plan for interviewing and identifying suitable candidates, and could be designed in a variety of ways.

Screening could include, if necessary, a basic review of applicant information, specific small group testing and development of a pre-selected group of candidates for the company to review. Testing would be limited to those where such skill identification was not otherwise available from other sources, and be used to screen in candidates. Both the Glendale Facility and the Tioga Employment Center staff could accommodate testing at their sites, using a variety of tools including an automated Test of Adult Basic Education, Career Aptitudes Survey, and the Job Aptitude Screening Test. If a company desires assistance in developing additional screening tools, technical assistance in designing a measurement mechanism would be provided by the New York State Department of Labor.

Once individuals have been recruited and applications reviewed for match to basic employer needs, large group activities can be designed to evaluate educational levels, work aptitudes, and employment competencies. A flexible schedule may then be developed to enable groups to be sorted by potential job classification, current employment status and individual characteristics. These groups may meet at the Glendale site, the Employment Center, or a site of the company’s choosing.

Training

Pre and post-employment training assistance is available, and would be based on company needs, skills, and abilities of applicants and new hires. A balanced, holistic training program may be recommended, that will allow for the development of a labor pool for hire by a company through pre-employment training, post-employment training for specific skill development of new hires, on-the-job, and hands-on training for task specific skills.

Aid in developing applications for state assistance for training may be provided to the extent that a company requires such aid by the Tioga Employment Center.

Pre-Employment Training

Pre-employment training is provided by a wide variety of education and training institutions, both public and private, in an even larger variety of occupational areas. The region possesses many such providers, including BOCES (Board of Cooperative Educational Services), three community colleges, four universities, and three private colleges within sixty (60) minutes of the proposed site.

The Tioga Employment Center and the New York State Department of Labor, working with a company and an educational provider, could develop job classifications, skill need sets and measurement devices for trainee performance. Performance standards would be a vital part of ensuring that trainees completing an appropriate program would meet company expectations. Development and implementation of a training program would be dependent on company interest and needs, and the company’s use of State skills training incentives.

Post-Employment Training

Post-employment training may be developed to meet a company's requirements, and could be available to persons hired by the company. A key element of any company’s training program could relate to training its own supervisors to function as on-site trainers. A "Train the Trainer" program might be recommended to meet this need, if applicable. Many regional educational institutions have experience in this model.

Management training is widely available in the region, for all levels of supervisors and managers. A customized program could be developed with the company, based on needs and the skill levels of managers.

On-the-Job Training

On-the-Job Training (OJT) is available to companies for targeted populations of new hires under the Federal Workforce Investment Act, Experience Works program, NYS Department of Education Office of Vocational and Educational Services for Individuals for Disabilities, and Welfare to Work Programs, to name a few. These programs offer levels of reimbursement based on skill needs of the position and the new hire, for a period of time to offset the extraordinary costs of training a person to the company’s specifications. The amount of funding available depends on the number of hires qualifying for such aid, rates of pay, and length of training necessary to meet basic skill levels. The Tioga Employment Center will aid an employer in identifying individuals in an applicant pool, who may qualify for OJT, and will work with a company to develop training outlines and access reimbursement.

The Tioga Employment center will assist a company in developing training outlines, applying for such aid and processing of claims through New York State, as the company desires. Tioga County can funnel these funds from New York State to the company to speed the claiming and payment process, if applicable.

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