Senator Kennedy’s Center of Workforce Achievement proposal passes Senate Economic Development Committee.

‘Skills gap’ cited as force causing hundreds of local jobs to go unfilled. Kennedy’s bill aims to bridge gap between skills demand and supply in local workforce.

ALBANY, N.Y. – Senator Tim Kennedy, D-Buffalo, announced his legislation to establish Centers of Workforce Achievement cleared an important legislative hurdle today and earned a stamp of approval from the Senate Economic Development Committee.  Kennedy’s bill – which was unanimously approved in committee – will help bridge the “skills gap” and prepare workers for jobs in our ever-evolving economy. The Centers of Workforce Achievement are designed to partner community colleges with local employers and regional economic experts to develop a skilled workforce for growth industries within the economies of each region of the state.

The Say Yes Buffalo Community Leadership Council (CLC), the body comprised of civic and community leaders responsible for monitoring outcomes for the collaborative partnership, held its second quarterly meeting today at True Bethel Baptist Church in Buffalo. The meeting focused on the presentation and discussion of what data points will be tracked year-over-year to measure the impact of the work that Say Yes Buffalo is coordinating with partners throughout the Western New York community.

Say Yes Buffalo and its partners aim to:

·         Strengthen the Buffalo public school district

·         Remove the barriers that prevent students from successfully graduating high school and going on to earn a postsecondary degree (trade certificate or college degree)

The data points that were presented for the Community Leadership Council’s discussion include:

P. Joseph Koessler ’81, president of Canisius High School, has announced the appointment of Robert J. Schoellkopf, CPA, to the position of chief financial officer. A 2000 graduate of Canisius, Schoellkopf most recently served as retail controller for NOCO Energy Corp. in Tonawanda.

Prior to joining NOCO in 2009, Schoellkopf held an auditing position with Ernst & Young, LLP, having joined the company in 2004. A Buffalo resident, Schoellkopf earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in accounting and a master’s degree in business administration with a concentration in finance from Loyola College in Maryland. He is a member of the New York State Society of CPAs and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.