What is beam?

BEAM stands for the Bridge to Employment and Academic Marketplace, a federally funded education and employment program and research study being implemented at workforce American Job Centers in nine counties in New York State. The Workforce Development Board of Herkimer, Madison, and Oneida Counties (HMO WDB) received a workforce innovation grant from the U.S. Department of Labor and has collaborated with the Workforce Development Boards of Chenango, Delaware, and Otsego Counties, Broome-Tioga Counties, and Tompkins County to design and deliver a new and innovative employment and academic program at their career centers. HMO WDB has teamed up with an agency called The Policy & Research Group (PRG) to study the effectiveness of its newly-designed program in helping individuals enroll in postsecondary training programs and/or access employment opportunities.

Oneida County has a variety of schools and training programs to get you back to post-secondary training. See the list below and ask an Outreach Coordinator how you can get started

Course-Resources

The BEAM Outreach Coordinators are available to help you get through the hurdles of returning to college and training. Whatever your school choices are, we’ll be there with you.

If you want to go back to school, you have many choices. Here is just the local list of colleges to get your future started now:

If you need training, you can visit:

Financial aid assistance

Paying for college shouldn’t be hard.  The BEAM Outreach Coordinators can also help you plan summer work, part time work and find the right counseling for negotiating your awards. We can help you get your forms in order, competed accurately and submitted on time.

SCHOLARSHIPS (FREE)

GRANTS

  • PELL
  • TAP – New York State Tuition Assistance Program
  • On-Point for College (Oneida & Herkimer counties only)
  • ACCES VR
  • WIOA (Visit your local American Job Center to learn more)

LOANS (PAY BACK)

GUIDES

where can you get help

Colleges and Institutions in the regions:

Mohawk Valley Community College – www.mvcc.edu

Herkimer College – www.herkimer.edu

Broome Community College – www.broomecommunitycollege.edu

Utica College – www.utica.edu

SUNY Polytechnical Institute – www.sunyit.edu

Oneida County BOCES – www.oneida-boces.org

DCMO BOCES – www.dcmoboces.com

SUNY Delhi – www.delhi.edu

Broome-Tioga BOCES – www.btboces.org

Tompkins County Community College – www.tc3.edu

Ithaca College – www.ithaca.edu

Discover Data Science – www.discoverdatascience.org

Free Courses and local tutoring assistance

Wondering where you can get help with courses or tests? Here are a few ideas:

WERC – The Women’s Employment and Resource Center is located at 185 Genesee Street, Suite 601, Utica, NY.  WERC is a non-profit organization serving women in need of job readiness services in the Herkimer-Oneida-Madison counties for over 16 years. They offer assistance with resumes, cover letters and interviews along with a 5 week in-depth training course called Professional Pathways: Navigation to Confident Business Communications.

Education Opportunity Center – MVCC offers additional educational tutoring, mentoring and career planning through the EOC. Their goal is to “work with individuals and their families to overcome barriers and successfully reach their educational goals. We will achieve this by assessing job interests and skill levels to develop an individualized short/long term training, employment, and educational plan”.

MVCC –  If you are a registered student with Mohawk Valley Community College, whether on campus or online, the college’s Academic Support Center is there to help you. All services are free, closed Saturday and Sunday.

Utica Public Library – If you need additional computer instruction or just need help with your iPhone, iPad or other smartphone, you can receive it at the Utica Public Library for free. Check out the library calendar to see if there is a class that interests you  at www.uticapubliclibrary.org/calendar.

On-Point for College – This organization offers assistance with college tours, transportation, or basic needs like winter coats and eyeglasses. No barrier is too big for On-Point.

Joining the military? Visit http://asvabpracticetestonline.com to prepare for the ASVAB test. Practice tests and pre-tests are available.

Criminal Justice Degrees Suite

Other helpful resources:

Test preparation:

We’re Here to Help

If you live in Oneida County and are an adult 19 years old or older, left college but would like to go back, we can help. We can guide you through the sometimes difficult hurdles of college admissions, financial aid and registration.

For more information please contact:

Veronica Miller, WIF BEAM Project Director

Phone: 315-798-5537      Email: vmiller@working-solutions.org

beam sustainability manual

College Access Manual by BEAM

BEAM Accuplacer Booklet