Livingston County has an employed workforce totaling 31,600 and an average unemployment of 5.3% with seasonal fluctuations. Although the unemployment rate is low, the numbers are misleading. A lack of second wage earner employment, particularly in west central and southern Livingston County, provides a significant opportunity for companies facing employee shortages and wage rate competition for semi-skilled and unskilled labor. Our employers will verify that the work ethic is very much alive in Livingston County!
The Livingston County Office of Workforce Development (formerly the Employment and Training Department), is a county agency administering federal funds under the Workforce investment Act as part of the Genesee/Livingston/Orleans/Wyoming Workforce Investment Board. Working in partnership with industries, schools, and other agencies, they assist business with their employment and training needs through on-the-job and customized training at greatly reduced costs to the employer, as well as workshops on pertinent issues. They also assist unemployed and underemployed workers through job-search assistance, employment counseling, and by funding training in demand occupations. The Office of Workforce Development also serves youth, ages 14-21, with employment-focused activities.
Genesee Valley BOCES Adult Educational Services – Genesee Valley Board of Cooperative Educational Services is responsive to the changing needs of area employers. The BOCES Office of adult Educational Services provides a variety of training programs to employers both at the Career and Technical Center in Mt. Morris and at business sites. Programs range from intensive job training to brief refresher courses in a variety of skill areas. Office skills include computer literacy, word processing, bookkeeping and business math. Technical skills are taught in various production fields such as welding, carpentry, electricity, machine tool operation, and computer aided design. Some training programs are eligible for state and federal subsidy grants. Adult job training classes teach specific career and technical skills. Programs such as Medical Transcription, CDL Class A Truck Driver Preparation, and Certified Nurse Aide consist entirely of adult learners and are designed to meet their needs. However, adults may also enroll in programs for high schools if space is available. The BOCES offers 18 different career and technical programs at the state-of-the-art center in Mt. Morris. As a component of these programs, counselors provide assistance with job search techniques and resume writing. The Adult Education Office also serves as the local education agency for the New York State Department of Labor in order to provide apprenticeship training.
Livingston County Business/Education Alliance (BEA) – The mission of the Business/Education Alliance (BEA) is to "facilitate a mutually beneficial partnership between business and education to prepare productive citizens." The BEA is a grassroots partnership with a volunteer Board of Directors and local funding. While providing opportunities for career exploration and awareness activities for students in our nine partner school districts, the BEA also facilitates dialog between local business partners and educators. Last year, students in Livingston County schools, grades K-12 participated in over 14,000 BEA endorsed career awareness activities such as Junior Achievement, job shadows, internships, field trips, and career days. Programs offered by the BEA have received both regional and national attention. Preparing students for life and building a talent pool for this area will not only strengthen the commitment of employers and employees to stay in the county, but will also draw new business to the region. We believe the emerging workforce is the future of a working community!
GCC's BEST Center (Business & Employee Skills Training Center) - supports Livingston County's economic base by helping ensure a skilled and qualified workforce to meet the increased demands of today's businesses. Businesses needing help in assessing and implementing employee training can utilize the BEST Center as a resource to improve and enhance business results. Training programs in leadership/management, computer technology, individual job skills (i.e. customer service, sales, marketing) or specific job skills (i.e. LEAN, OSHA, ISO, electrical) are some of the training services provided by Genesee Community College’s BEST Center. Trainings are often performed on-site at a business location. The College seeks funding for a company’s training needs when resources are available. Also Genesee Community College’s BEST Center offers workshops and seminars in the most current business practices, professional development, self-improvement, and vocational/workplace performance improvement programs.
High Technology of Rochester - the region's technology development organization, is a public-private partnership designed to support technology based business development. High Technology of Rochester supports business activity by providing direct strategic assistance to companies in the areas of entrepreneurship, technology commercialization, new venture financing, product development, business incubator facility management and technology transfer services.
Centers for Advanced Technology (cats) – This statewide network of cooperative research and development centers is formed by partnership among universities, private industry and state government. Through these centers, researchers at New York’s leading research universities work side-by side with their counterparts at large and small companies on the development and commercialization of new technologies. CATs, based at universities throughout New York State, focus on various cutting-edge technology specialties including biotechnology, advanced materials and software. Center is in close proximity to Livingston County includes Alfred University Center for Advanced Ceramic Technology, Cornell University Center for Biotechnology and University of Rochester/Rochester Institute for Technology Center for Electronic imaging.
Additionally, within 30 – 60 minutes of Livingston County are major research colleges including the Rochester Institute of Technology and the University of Rochester both of which encourage cooperative research and development with industry. These universities, along with the Rochester area’s concentration of high technology industries such as Eastman Kodak, Xerox, Bausch & Lomb and General Motors, resulted in the area possessing one of the nation's most highly skilled and well educated work forces. The Rochester MSA, which includes Livingston County, is the third ranked metropolitan area in the nation in the percent of its workforce employed in scientific and engineering professions. Additionally, over 20% of all employees in the metro area are employed in high-tech industries. Many of these employees have lived or taken up residency in Livingston County's many desirable communities, some of which are growing by 3% per year.
Institutions of higher education available within an hour drive of Livingston County include: SUNY Brockport, SUNY Alfred, University of Rochester, Rochester Institute of Technology, Alfred University, Roberts Wesleyan, Eastman School of Music, Genesee, Monroe, and Finger Lakes Community Colleges, Nazareth College and St. John Fisher.