SUNY’s Free Online Training Center to Give New Yorkers a Gateway to College
January 4, 2021
Part of Chancellor Malatras’ New SUNY FOR ALL Campaign to Expand Access to Higher Education, the Center Prepares Eligible Students for College and Post-COVID Careers with Training and Success Coaches to Guide Them
Students Completing Online Training Programs with a High School Diploma or Equivalency are Automatically Accepted to SUNY’s 30 Community Colleges or SUNY Empire State College; Application Fees are Waived
New SUNY FOR ALL Campaign Kick Off Video Online Here
Albany, NY – State University of New York Chancellor Jim Malatras has launched SUNY’s free Online Training Center to give more New Yorkers a gateway to college—no matter where they live across the state—with high school equivalency, college prep, and employment certification programs. As phase one of Chancellor Malatras’ new SUNY FOR All campaign to expand access to a higher education, the center will prepare eligible students for college and post-COVID careers with training and success coaches to guide them.
SUNY’s Online Training Center will give more New Yorkers in every region of the state—from rural communities to urban centers— another opportunity to go to college. Students who complete any one of the Online Training Center certificates with a high school diploma or high school equivalency credential will be automatically accepted to any of SUNY’s 30 community colleges or SUNY Empire State College. The application fee is also waived.
Even before the pandemic, it was projected that 65 percent of jobs in the U.S. would require post-secondary education through 2020, and recent projections show that increasing to 70 percent by 2027. Currently, more than 2.2 million New Yorkers between the ages of 25 to 44 have no degree, and 2.6 million between the ages of 45-64 are without one.
“As New York State rebounds after the coronavirus pandemic, SUNY is providing opportunities to help more New Yorkers prepare for jobs across our state that will continue to require some post-secondary education—and we know far too many need a college degree to succeed,” said Chancellor Malatras. “SUNY is designing a path to higher education that is free and accessible through remote learning and virtual support that make the first step to higher education easy, whether you are a recent high school graduate, a working parent, a veteran, or a mid-career professional looking for a new career. SUNY FOR ALL will bring together some of our greatest strengths across SUNY with excellent faculty, a simple platform, and people who know the obstacles to an education and can help more New Yorkers navigate around those barriers. After completing our free online training program, participants will learn a new career-boosting skill or be ready to move onto an associate or bachelor’s degree. We look forward to building on this program to help hardworking New Yorkers get back on their feet in the wake of this pandemic and beyond. My thanks to the leadership and faculty at our Educational Opportunity Centers, ATTAIN Labs, and our community colleges, SUNY Empire and Buffalo State College for their collaboration on the SUNY Online Training Center, our first step.”
SUNY’s free Online Training Center includes the following programs:
College Preparation Certification
High School Equivalency
College Preparation
English As a Second Language
Allied Health Certification
Professional Medical Coder & Biller
Pharmacy Technician
Emergency Medical Technician
Electronic Health Records
Physical Therapy Aide
Certified Nurse Assistant (excluding clinical hours)
Home Health Aide
Business & Industry Certification
Emergency Telecommunications
Advanced Manufacturing
Office Administration Professional
Customer Service
Teacher Assistant
Security Guard
OSHA 30 & 40
Small Business Certification
Entreskills
Business Advisement, Webinar Business Trainings
Eligible students must be a New York State resident from a low- or moderate-income household, without a post-secondary degree, who may be unemployed or recently laid off.
SUNY’s free Online Training Center includes programs offered by the University Center for Academic and Workforce Development (UCAWD), Advanced Technology Training and Information Networking (ATTAIN) labs, and Educational Opportunity Centers (EOCs). These online programs, coupled with success coaches, will help more New Yorkers earn a higher education degree. Additionally, small business owners can start or grow their enterprises with EntreSkills, the free online entrepreneurial education course developed by the New York Small Business Development Center.
SUNY’s Educational Opportunity Centers have traditionally served as a launching pad to community colleges, and SUNY campuses have partnerships with many EOCs to give enrollment and orientation programs. The statewide network of 10 EOCs and two Outreach and Counseling Centers include 600 faculty and staff. While SUNY’s EOCs are located in large urban areas across New York, SUNY’s Online Training Center is accessible across the state.
To learn more, register or attend a virtual informational session, visit https://www.suny.edu/sunyforall.