Governor Hochul Launches Major Workforce Development Program “ON-RAMP” to Provide $200 Million Towards Job Training and Support for Careers in Rapidly Expanding Advanced Manufacturing Sector

 

FY25 Enacted Budget Initiative Creates Regional Training Hubs Across Upstate To Meet Increasing Need for High Skilled Workers in New York’s Growing Advanced Manufacturing Industry

Governor Kathy Hochul announced the launch of her signature One Network for Regional Advanced Manufacturing Partnerships program, a $200 million investment to help fund and realize a network of four new workforce development centers in strategic high impact locations in Upstate New York first announced as part of her FY25 Enacted Budget. The Centers will bring together industry, academia, social services, and community organizations to provide high quality, in demand skills training and wraparound supports necessary to empower New Yorkers with the skills they need to take on careers in high growth advanced manufacturing industries like semiconductors. Empire State Development developed and will manage the program.

“New York’s economic competitiveness is the result of our extraordinary workforce, striving every day to innovate, create and push the boundaries of what is possible,” Governor Hochul said. “My ON-RAMP program marshals resources to our Upstate communities to catalyze investments in manufacturing – and it’s already delivering for New Yorkers with tens of thousands of new jobs in the industries of the future coming right here to our state.”

Applications for regions to be selected for three additional ON-RAMP centers and receive planning grants to develop a full business and implementation plan are now open on the ESD website.

ON-RAMP will establish four new workforce development centers, including three chosen competitively, and a flagship location in Central New York, based in Syracuse. For the three competitively selected centers, ON-RAMP grant funding will cover:

• a planning grant for development of a business plan for a regional ON-RAMP center;
• a portion of operational expenses related to curriculum development and provision of trainee support services; and
• a portion of capital needs for renovations, expansions, and/or construction costs related to the delivery of advanced manufacturing training.

ON-RAMP centers are expected to be established as fully sustainable entities that will not require ongoing support from ESD within five years of a center’s implementation funding.

Among other principles, each of the four regional training centers must:

• develop accessible and equitable pathways for priority populations;
• provide a curriculum and training models that reflects industry projections for advanced manufacturing job growth within the region;
• prove flexible to adapt services to meet changing industry needs and a dynamic global market;
• create career pathways for both entry-level and mid-skill workers for long-term sustainable employment;
• offer wraparound support for program participants;
• and track outcomes to help measure programmatic success.

Governor Hochul’s Commitment to Growing New York’s Semiconductor Industry

Governor Hochul has maintained a strong commitment to building a modern economy in New York State by growing a dynamic and innovative semiconductor industry. In 2022, the Governor signed New York’s historic Green CHIPS legislation to make New York a hub for semiconductor manufacturing, creating 21st century jobs and kick-starting economic growth while maintaining important environmental protections. As part of the FY24 Enacted Budget, Governor Hochul secured a $45 million investment to create the Governor’s Office of Semiconductor Expansion, Management, and Integration (GO-SEMI), which leads statewide efforts to develop the chipmaking sector. In December 2023, Governor Hochul announced a $10 billion public-private partnership – including $9 billion in private investment from IBM, Micron, Applied Materials, Tokyo Electron and other semiconductor leaders – to bring the future of advanced semiconductor research to New York’s Capital region by creating the nation’s first and only industry accessible, High NA EUV Lithography Center at the Albany NanoTech Complex. All of these efforts are positioning New York as an innovation leader ready to support one of three National Semiconductor Technology Center facilities that will be established under the U.S. CHIPS & Science Act.

New York is home to a robust semiconductor industry which supports more than 150 semiconductor and supply chain companies that employ over 34,000 New Yorkers. Thanks to Governor Hochul’s efforts, the industry is continuing to grow with major investments from semiconductor businesses and supply chain companies like Micron, GlobalFoundries, AMD, Edwards Vacuum, MenloMicro and TTM Technologies to expand their presence in New York. In fact, in the last two years, chip companies have announced over $112 billion in planned capital investments in New York – more than any other state – and one in four U.S. made chips will be produced within 350 miles of Upstate New York. No other region in the country will account for a greater share of domestic production.

Semiconductors are vital to the nation's economic strength, serving as the brains of modern electronics, and enabling technologies critical to U.S. economic growth, national security, and global competitiveness. The industry directly employs over 300,000 people in the U.S. and supports more than 1.8 million additional domestic jobs. Semiconductors are a top five U.S. export, and the industry is the number one contributor to labor productivity, supporting improvements to the effectiveness and efficiency of virtually every economic sector – from farming to manufacturing.