A plan to invest $100 million in training centers to prepare Long Islanders for jobs in biotechnology, renewable energy, tourism and other growth sectors took a step forward Thursday, as the state announced it was taking applications from businesses and nonprofits seeking to operate the centers.
The state has allocated $50 million for the Workforce Development Training Centers, and applicants must agree to pay at least 50% of the cost.
Proposals that focus on the growth industries identified by Empire State Development, the state’s primary business-aid agency, will be prioritized, “with preference given to training programs that support socially- and economically disadvantaged groups,” the agency said.
The industries receiving ESD’s “growth” designation also include advanced manufacturing, agribusiness, clean technology and craft beverages.
The training centers must be near mass transit, be centrally located on Long Island and work with area high schools, colleges and businesses to develop a curriculum that encompasses hands-on learning, ESD said.
State funding for the training centers comes from the $350 million Long Island Investment Fund, established by Gov. Kathy Hochul and the State Legislature in the 2022-23 state budget.
The deadline for submitting applications is March 31 at 5 p.m., Hochul said. For more information, email LIWorkforceDev2023RFA@esd.ny.gov.
The initiative “will lay the foundation to expand workforce opportunities for Long Islanders,” said Linda Armyn, an executive at Bethpage Federal Credit Union and co-vice chair of the Long Island Regional Economic Development Council, which helps determine how state tax credits and grants are distributed.
Separately, ESD has begun taking applications from organizations seeking to oversee a funding competition for startups in Nassau and Suffolk counties that are focused on biotech, health technology and medical devices. The successful applicant “must locate or be located on Long Island,” agency spokeswoman Kristin Devoe said on Thursday.
The application deadline is also March 31 at 5 p.m.
Up to $50 million in grants from the Long Island Investment Fund will be awarded over five years to startups in the life sciences. For information, email lifesciencesrfa@esd.ny.gov
In addition to grants for startups, the state funding will be used to help commercialize inventions from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Brookhaven National Laboratory and the Island’s other research institutions, attract biotech firms from out of state, and to provide workplaces and business training for entrepreneurs.
ESD chairman Kevin Law, a partner at the East Setauket-based developer Tritec Real Estate Co., said the Long Island Investment Fund will help to “transform the region’s life science corridor and create opportunities for a better future for residents and businesses.”
