ALBANY – National Grid regional leadership reaffirmed their support of Capital Region BOCES during a tour Tuesday of the Career & Technical Education Center – Albany Campus.
Brian Sano, Regional Director of National Grid, and Susanne Collins, Customer & Community Manager, toured the campus and met with Nancy Liddle, BOCES Managing Program Coordinator – Business and Community Partnerships, and Karen Fox of the Capital Region Chamber.
“The partnership between National Grid and BOCES is incredibly important,” Sano said while visiting one of the three state-of-the-art Electrical Trades program laboratories BOCES operates.
Sano said National Grid relies on BOCES to ensure that it has the workforce needed to meet the demand of the evolving energy industry landscape.
“We are developing green-collar jobs—even in our gas division, we are looking at a non-carbon gas system—and we need programs like this to ensure we have the workforce necessary to accomplish those goals,” he said.
Sano also praised the 167,000-square-foot Capital Region BOCES Albany Campus, which opened in August of 2022.
“Walking through these classrooms, it’s great to get a front row seat to see and hear how BOCES is enabling that workforce of tomorrow with the skills they need to succeed,” he said.
He also reflected on his high school career and his need for hands-on learning.
“I was a horrible student when you put me in a classroom with a teacher up front, but when you put me in a workshop or a lab where I could work with my hands, I got 100s.” Sano said.
Liddle said National Grid is a valuable partner for BOCES, ensuring professional growth in BOCES’ students and in the overall BOCES experience.
“We appreciate our continued business partnership with National Grid and their willingness to work with Capital Region BOCES and our students. Our programs and students continue to grow because of National Grid’s expertise, knowledge and contributions,” she said.
National Grid is among 300 businesses, educational institutions, professional organizations and unions that Capital Region BOCES partners with to provide educational and career opportunities for students. Through these partnerships, students learn from experts in the field, receive work-based learning and find post-graduation jobs.
For information on how to become a business partner, contact Liddle at 518-862-4823 or nancy.liddle@neric.org or go to https://www.capitalregionboces.org/career-technical-education/business-partners/.