BOCES Meets Demand of Students, Business Partners

ALBANY/SCHOHARIE - Three years, three major projects.

In what can be only described as a whirlwind of activity, the Capital Region BOCES Career and Technical Education Center has reshaped and expanded its offerings to meet the needs of students and business partners alike.

New programs, such as Plumbing Technology and New Visions: Emerging Technologies, have been created in partnership with area industry and labor organizations, while other programs, such as Welding and Metal Fabrication, Electrical Trades, Heavy Equipment Repair and Operation [HERO], Early Childhood Education and Cosmetology, have been expanded to meet the demand of students and their home school districts.

Because of this growth, more than 200 additional high school students have been added to the rolls of the Career and Technical Education Center in just three years. Director of Career and Technical Education Jeff Palmer said there remains a waiting list of students wanting to enter certain programs.

A total of 29 programs are offered to high school students, and nearly a dozen more are offered to adults. 

“It’s remarkable the demand we have seen from both students and business partners looking to hire trained workers,” Palmer said.

This year’s opening of the Capital Region BOCES Career and Technical Education (CTE) Extension Center in Albany is the most recent project to come to fruition, but it’s just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the work BOCES has done to boost its students’ futures.

In 2022, BOCES opened the Career and Technical Education Center – Albany Campus, a three-story, 167,000-square-foot building that offers a multitude of programs to high school and adult students alike.

And in October 2024, a renovation and expansion project on Schoharie Campus was completed. The work included construction of a new five-bay, 4,500-square-foot building to house the HERO program’s equipment. The work also allowed for the expansion of the Welding and Metal Fabrication program to the Schoharie Campus.

Palmer said the projects underscore BOCES’ dedication to students and building the workforce and the community.

“These additions and renovations are a testament to our commitment to providing top-tier facilities that support the exceptional programs we offer,” he said.

Brian Williams, Executive Director, Capital Region Workforce Development Board, said Capital Region BOCES is a key player in building the region’s economy.

“The work done here at BOCES and CTE is amazing. It … puts students on the road to great success,” he said.

Employers echo those sentiments.

“As an employer of a successful CTE alumni we strongly support and applaud Capital Region BOCES on the opening of the Albany Career & Technical Education Center,” said Jim Becker, president of MIDTEL Family of Companies. 

Christian Trujillo, General Manager of New Country Porsche, agreed.

“We have been involved with the Capital Region BOCES program for many moons,” he said. “The quality of kids here and the potential they possess to make an impact in the industry is great.