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New York state has launched its One Network for Regional Advanced Manufacturing Partnerships program, a $200 million investment into four new manufacturing workforce development centers, Gov. Kathy Hochul first announced Friday. The city of Syracuse is set to serve as the ON-RAMP initiative’s flagship center.

The centers, first announced in Hochul’s 2025 fiscal year budget, aim to increase access to “high-quality, in-demand skills training” for New Yorkers to take on careers in advanced manufacturing industries, such as semiconductor fabrication. The ON-RAMP initiative includes the construction of advanced manufacturing training facilities in each center.

Hochul named Syracuse as the primary location in the FY-25 budget. The state will select applications for the other three upstate New York centers through Dec. 2, according to the program’s website.

“My ON-RAMP program marshals resources to our Upstate communities to catalyze investments in manufacturing,” Hochul said in a Friday press release. “And it’s already delivering for New Yorkers with tens of thousands of new jobs in the industries of the future coming right here to our state.”

Empire State Development, the state’s economic development agency, will supervise the program — offering support programs related to industry, academia, social services and community organizations, according to the release.

The decision to make Syracuse the main location for ON-RAMP came months after President Joe Biden named the city as a member of one of the 31 federal Tech Hubs in October 2023. The NY SMART I-Corridor Tech Hub — consisting of Syracuse, Buffalo, Rochester and the Ithaca region — received an additional $40 million grant in early July.

New York’s increased investment into manufacturing and technology industries coincides with the impending arrival of a Micron Technology fabrication plant in Clay. Micron recently delayed plans to break ground on the facility, just 10 minutes from Syracuse. Over the next 20 years, the company plans to invest over $100 billion into the project.

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“They’re learning more about coding and computer science, positioning them to take these jobs in the future,” Hochul said during a Sept. 20 Business Council of New York State meeting. “I’m not just talking about the suburban areas that are doing well, I’m talking about the inner city of Syracuse … (I want) to change their future.”

The Tech Hubs Program was founded as part of the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, which authorized $10 billion for the program over five years.

In the last two years, chip companies have announced over $112 billion in planned capital investments in New York and one in four United States-made chips will be produced within 350 miles of upstate New York, according to the SEMI World Fab Forecast.

The state has not released details about the timeline for the completion of the ON-RAMP projects, nor has it defined what responsibilities Syracuse will have as its flagship center. Hochul told syracuse.com earlier this year that the Syracuse location would receive a “bulk” of the funds for the project.

Published on September 23, 2024 at 10:48 pm

Contact Henry: hdaley@syr.edu