OLEAN, N.Y. – In partnership with SUNY Jamestown Community College’s Workforce Development and area workforce and economic development leaders, Siemens Energy has announced a pilot program to revitalize the Olean area economy.
The initiative is designed to generate community resiliency through the creation of a program that re-skills fossil energy workers and supports clean energy startups. The initial idea was proposed by Siemens Energy in response to the company’s plans to reduce operations in Olean by July 2022. The company intends to use what it learns from the Olean pilot in other communities that experience similar workforce reductions as a result of the massive transformation happening in the energy industry, stemming from increasing requirements for climate protection.
“We believe we have a responsibility to help make the energy transition a just one, and that means working with communities impacted by changes in our industry to ensure we have a workforce ready to meet the needs of the future,” said Rich Voorberg, president of North America for Siemens Energy. “We are hoping that the success of this program can be replicated elsewhere as needed along this journey to a cleaner energy economy.”
“Since we learned that Cattaraugus County’s largest employer was reducing its workforce in the area, we have been planning for what comes next,” said Holger Ekanger, JCC’s vice president of Workforce Development. “We are thankful for the support Siemens Energy is providing, but we also have a lot of work ahead to ensure we make the most of those resources. We have to find a way to strengthen existing industries while we transition into a different industry sector and support new jobs creation.”
Jim Stitt, executive chairman of Cutco Corporation and chairman of the Olean Business Development Corporation, stated that the support that has come from so many organizations to facilitate a project like this is amazing. What we do next will be very instrumental in moving our economy and our community forward. The Olean Business Development Corporation is proud to lead this initiative along with the SBU Innovation Center and JCC.
Of the $1.66 million in funding Siemens Energy is providing for the program, $1 million is allocated to small business startups in the Olean area. Seventy-five percent of the $1 million will be directed to new energy supply chain development.
“This will go a long way to continue the growth of the startup ecosystem in our area. Our community/ecosystem was built on fossil energy, and this will solidify our transition to being the leader in growing innovative clean energy businesses,” said Tom Cullen, director of the SBU Innovation Center. “It’s such an exciting time to be an entrepreneur here.”
In addition to supporting business startups, Siemens Energy is providing $400,000 for JCC to purchase existing curriculum or hire instructors and instructional designers to develop curriculum in clean energy. To oversee the pilot program, Siemens Energy is matching $250,000 for staffing and the development of a 10-year strategic plan for the city of Olean.
Siemens Energy’s hope for the pilot program is to reskill employees for a new career path, help them remain in the region, provide a stronger talent pool for the energy industry, and aid Olean in overall economic and workforce development.
When Siemens Energy announced its intentions to downsize in Olean in February, JCC worked with the corporation to provide immediate support for affected employees. Kathleen Martell, JCC’s Workforce Development program manager, said “the college developed an outline of courses, programs and training it could provide to displaced workers. JCC also offered to deliver resume preparation and job interviewing assistance.”
Soon after, JCC created a steering committee of political and economic development leaders in the city of Olean and Cattaraugus County to develop ideas for the pilot program. The group includes: the Cattaraugus-Allegany Workforce Development Board, city and county officials, Olean mayor William Aiello, Southern Tier West, the Olean Business Development Corporation, the Cattaraugus County Industrial Development Agency, the Greater Olean Area Chamber of Commerce, and the St Bonaventure University Innovation Center.
“We thank our many partners who have dedicated much time and energy to this initiative,” Ekanger said. “Their input and ideas guided us to this point. We will continue to rely on their expertise and knowledge as we develop and implement the pilot program.”