What is beam?
BEAM stands for the Bridge to Employment and Academic Marketplace, a federally funded education and employment program and research study that was previously implemented at workforce American Job Centers in nine counties in New York State. The Workforce Development Board of Herkimer, Madison, and Oneida Counties (WDB/HMO) received a workforce innovation grant from the U.S. Department of Labor and 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. The WDB/HMO 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. The WDB/HMO BEAM program has ended, but please see the helpful resources on this page.
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
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:
- MVCC – Utica or Rome
- Herkimer College
- Morrisville College
- Cazenovia College
- Hamilton College
- SUNY Polytechnic
- Utica College
If you need training, you can visit:
Financial aid assistance
Paying for college shouldn’t be hard.
SCHOLARSHIPS (FREE)
- Scholarships – find one that is perfect for you
- FAFSA – Federal Application for Federal Student Aid offers some scholarships
- Federal Student Aid
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)
- Citizens Bank Private Loans
- FAFSA – Federal Application for Federal Student Aid
- Sallie Mae Student Loans
- Wells Fargo Student Loans
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
SUNY Polytechnical Institute – www.sunyit.edu
Oneida County BOCES – www.oneida-boces.org
DCMO BOCES – www.dcmoboces.com
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:
- Khan Academy
- FAFSA Tutorial
- Guide to Financial Aid
- About Available Federal Grants
- About Student Loans
- About TAP
- Free Scholarship Finder
- Free Scholarship Search Engine
- SUNY Financial Literacy
- Internship/Apprenticeship Opportunities in Mohawk Valley
- Guide for Admissions Process
- Guide to Writing College Application Essays
- College Admissions Webinar
- Resource for Pre-enrollment
- Several Resources Pertaining to Pre-enrollment, Financial Aid, Loans, and more
- Resources for Pre-enrollment on BestColleges.com
Test preparation:
- Free Study Skills Course – Need to Register an Account through Alison.com
- Introduction to Time-Management
- Job Search Skills – Preparing Your Resume and Cover Letter
- Financial Literacy
- Introduction Managing Your Personal Finance Debts
- Accuplacer Practice & Resources, Math & Science (Has a mobile app)
- Accuplacer Study Guide and Practice Tests
- Accuplacer Study Guide and Practice via StudyGuideZone
- Mometrix Academy Accuplacer Homepage
- Next Generations Accuplacer Practice Test
- Free Accuplacer Practice Test – Study.com