MVCC, Alfred State, SU, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers partner to
provide education pathway for Local 43 members
Mohawk Valley Community College (MVCC), Alfred State College, Syracuse University, the International
Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 43, and the National Electrical Contractor Association (NECA)
have joined forces to build an education pathway for IBEW Local 43 members.
The partnership provides apprentices in the NECA/IBEW Local 43’s five-year training program with a
MVCC Electrical Service Technician AOS degree at no cost and an opportunity to earn a Project Management
Certificate from Syracuse University, as well as a pathway to transfer seamlessly into Alfred State College’s
bachelor’s degree program in Business Administration: Technology Management — a fully online degree that is
highly accessible for working adults.
Also, by leveraging preexisting agreements that Alfred State has with MBA programs around the state,
including one with Syracuse University, the pathway for the IBEW population extends through a professional degree.
The joint announcement was made on February 4 by MVCC President Dr. Randall J. VanWagoner, Ph.D.; Officer-in-Charge
of Alfred State College John Anderson, Ph.D.; Dean, Professor of Practice from Syracuse University Michael J.
Frasciello, Ph.D.; IBEW Local 43 Business Manager/Financial Secretary Alan Marzullo; and National Electrical
Contractor Association (NECA) President James Engler.
MVCC President VanWagoner said, “Our coalition of diverse partners has constructed a first of its kind,
non-redundant, coherent pathway for highly skilled electrical workers to advance along the project management
career ladder that fundamentally relies on a noncredit-to-credit pathway breaking the traditional mold of higher
education and acting as an exemplar model, ripe to replicate.”
SU Dean Frasciello said, “Our partnership with MVCC, Alfred State, and the IBEW is the first of many collaborations
that provide talented students with the opportunity to advance their careers while shaping the future of the electrical
trades and the industries they serve. This partnership focuses three of the region’s leading academic institutions on
developing the next generation of future-ready electrical trades professionals.”
Alfred's Officer-in-Charge Anderson said, “Alfred State College is proud to partner with IBEW, MVCC, and
Syracuse University to strengthen our long history of working with unions to create non-traditional pathways
for career advances in the skilled trades. As advances in technology continue, skilled tradespeople will
require greater competencies. It is partnerships like this that will provide advanced training for our
electrical technicians who wish to gain a workforce advantage and become managers and leaders in their trade.
We look forward to continuing our tradition of providing local and regional industry with workforce-ready graduates.”
IBEW’s Marzullo said, “This complex but highly synergistic partnership will enable IBEW Local 43 to further
enhance the welfare of our members while maintaining perfect alignment to our steadfast commitment of providing
the highest quality of skilled electricians to our contractors. We have long provided college-level learning to
our apprentices and we are thrilled that our college partners have identified a mechanism to recognize this.
There is now great congruity between organized labor training and higher education and it is for the betterment of all.”
About Mohawk Valley Community College (MVCC)
Mohawk Valley Community College, established in 1946, is New York State’s first community college with a mission to
provide accessible, high-quality educational opportunities for everyone. As the community’s college, MVCC is
committed to student success through partnerships, transfer and career pathways, and personal enrichment. With
campuses in Utica and Rome, MVCC is the region’s primary provider of college education, offering 90 degree and
certificate options for its enrollment of 6,000 full- and part-time students. MVCC also serves an additional
6,000 people through its corporate and community education programs, and its campuses welcome more than 50,000
people annually for community events. For more information, visit mvcc.edu.
About Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private institution that was founded in 1870. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of
14,479 (fall 2020), its setting is city, and the campus size is 721 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic
calendar. Syracuse University's ranking in the 2022 edition of Best Colleges is National Universities, #59. For
more information, visit https://www.syracuse.edu/
About Alfred State College
Alfred State College is a public college in Alfred, New York. It is part of the State University of New York system.
The college, formerly the Technical College at Alfred, offers a wide variety of majors in both 4-year bachelor's
degrees or 2-year associate degrees. It is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and
is a member of the Rochester Area Colleges consortium. Visit https://www.alfredstate.edu/ for more information.
About the IBEW
The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) represent over 800,000 workers throughout the
United States and Canada in all phases of the electrical industry. Local 43 represents nearly 1200 +
hard-working men and women in these six counties of New York: Cortland, Herkimer, Madison, Oneida,
Onondaga, Oswego and parts of Cayuga, Chenango, Otsego, Tompkins and Wayne counties. Visit https://www.ibew43.org/
for more information.
About NECA (National Electrical Contractors Associatoin)
NECA is the voice of the $171 billion electrical contruction industry repreenting over 4500 electrical contracting
businesses in the US and Internationally. The Finger Lakes Chapter NECA represents Central NY contractors who
employ IBEW Local 43 electricians, and funds the IBEW educational training program creating a skilled workforce.
Visit https://www.flneca.org for more information.