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February 26, 2025Capital Region BOCES Celebrates Growth as National Career & Technical Education Month Concludes
February is national Career & Technical Education (CTE) Month and Capital Region BOCES is highlighting the occasion by celebrating its growth in recent years as a provider of workforce development for the region and beyond.
During the last three years, Capital Region BOCES has opened a new Career and Technical Education Center in Albany, renovated and expanded its Schoharie Campus and started work on a new CTE Extension Center in Albany. The latter will be open in time for the 2025-26 school year and will allow for the expansion of six programs and the creation of two new ones – Plumbing Technology and New Visions: Emerging Technologies.
“The growth we are experiencing with the new Albany campus, the renovated Schoharie campus and now the Extension Center reflects the increasing demand for our programs from both students and employers,” said Career and Technical Education Director Jeff Palmer. “It is truly a great time to be involved in CTE.”
Capital Region BOCES started the current school year with more than 1,400 students enrolled and a waitlist in excess of 200 students.
The opening of the CTE Extension Center at 886 Watervliet-Shaker Road in Albany, next to the Albany CTE Campus and the BOCES administration building, will allow for an additional 200-plus students to gain a career and technical education.
Besides the Plumbing Technology and New Visions: Emerging Technologies programs, the CTE Extension Center will house the expansion of the Heavy Equipment Repair and Operation program, which is currently only offered on the Schoharie Campus. Additionally, new Electrical Trades, Building Trades, Cosmetology, Manufacturing and Machining Technology and Digital Media Design program space will be in the facility.
Business partners said the growth in training opportunities is needed.
“If you take a look at the 2023 outlook from Gov. Kathy Hochul, she addressed the housing shortage. She forecasts that 800,000 new homes and apartments are needed over the next decade. Currently, there are not enough workers to complete this task,” said Tom Carrigan, President and Marketing Director for UA Local 7, Plumbers and Steamfitters.
Thomas McKiernan of the Carpenters Union Local No. 291 agreed.
“The construction industry is getting older, and we need to find replacements for the retirees. It’s good to get young people interested so that they can learn the industry the right way, from the ground up,” he said.
As operator of one of the largest workforce development centers in Upstate New York and partner to more than 300 businesses, education and labors organizations, Capital Region BOCES takes seriously its role in equipping the next generation of workers with the essential skill sets needed to alleviate the critical shortage of skilled labor in this region and beyond.
Graduates of BOCES programs work in all facets of industry—from nurse practitioners and physicians to machinists, entrepreneurs, diesel technicians, fashion designers, video game designers, electricians, chefs, service managers, dietitians, and many, many more careers where CTE graduates have found success.
“BOCES connects education with everyday life and gives you the skills you need to succeed,” said Tom Rodick, a Class of 2022 graduate of the Network Technology program who works for BBL Construction Services and is receiving a free college education through his employer.
Recruiting is underway for the 2025-26 school year. To learn more about career and technical education programs offered by Capital Region BOCES, visit https://www.capitalregionboces.org/career-technical-education/courses-programs/.
