"As the North Country region continues to battle bounce back from the recession and as well as the damaging floods along the river and lake this past year, I've been exploring steps we can take to rebuild the maritime economy with infrastructure funding and education and training programs," she said.
Assemblywoman Jenne has worked with her colleagues in state government to get a financial support package for local governments, businesses and homeowners impacted by this past year's flooding on Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River.
She has also been working to secure additional grants for waterfront projects, including pushing to secure $250,000 in state funding for waterfront improvements in Cape Vincent.
She has also spent the past several months talking to local school and college officials about steps that can be taken in the region to provide training for employment in the maritime industry.
"I think implementing practical and common-sense programs to train our workforce is key to taking the economy of our river and lake community to the next level," Assemblywoman Jenne said.
"We have everything we need right here, except the training many want and need to build their professional skills and reputation in maritime trades and related businesses," she said.
"By strengthening the workforce, we can bring business back to these communities that demand the quality and experience you can only get in the St. Lawrence River Valley and Great Lakes," Assemblywoman Jenne added.
She recently led a delegation of educational leaders from around the North Country on a visit to SUNY Maritime College in the Bronx.
Assemblywoman Jenne and representatives from SUNY Canton, Jefferson Community College and Jefferson-Lewis BOCES met with SUNY Maritime administrators and toured the campus.
"It was a great visit. SUNY Maritime Provost Joseph Hoffman previously served as the interim president of SUNY Canton and knows our region well. He is a great resource as we look at steps we can take to grow interest in training for jobs in the maritime industry," she said,. noting, for example, a high percentage of river pilots on the St. Lawrence are graduates of the SUNY Maritime College.
Dr. Hoffman, who also serves as vice president for Academic Affairs at SUNY Maritime College, said he saw potential for working with local officials to develop career paths in the maritime industry in the region.
"I am very interested in continuing to engage with SUNY Canton, Jefferson Community College, BOCES and local high schools," Dr. Hoffman said at the conclusion of the meeting on the SUNY Maritime campus.
Assemblywoman Jenne noted the region is filled with individuals with deep ties to the rivers and lakes in the North Country.
We've got the water. We have a history of boat building. That's part of our heritage and our culture," Assemblywoman Jenne said.
"So many people currently don't feel connected to their education. But they are on the water all the time. This is their life. We have to have training. A lot of things would really fit. This would add great value to a lot of work people have been doing in the North Country for generations," she said.
"We have spectacular natural resources, fascinating boat building heritage and a love for being out in our natural environment. We can do a better job of capitalizing on all of it," she reiterated.
"That's why I'm exploring options from online seminars and short classes for adults and students alike as well as more formalized BOCES programs and partnerships so students could earn professional licenses and associates, bachelor's and master's degrees for maritime professions that are in demand and pay well," she said.
Assemblywoman Jenne said stepping up maritime training in the region could translate into a growth in maritime activity along the shores of the St. Lawrence River and Lake Ontario.
"We shouldn't think of ourselves as a well-kept secret. We should proudly promote our heritage, skills and hospitable nature. We are a special place that is as much about showcasing our history as it is demonstrating how it has made us what we are today," she said.
"I see an opportunity to convert a skilled and well trained workforce into a resource that can attract new employment opportunities to our region. The maritime industry, like so many others, is in a period of significant changes, and we could position ourselves for the increased work that is necessary for compliance with new industry and environmental standards," according to the assemblywoman.
"These would be jobs that would allow our young people to stay in the North Country and live and work on the rivers and lakes they so love,"Assemblywoman Jenne added.
IN THE PHOTOS:
TOP PHOTO:
Assemblywoman Addie A.E. Jenne experiences operating a tug boat from the bridge at SUNY Maritime's Bouchard Tug and Barge Simulation Center. The simulation center offers students and professional mariners an opportunity to get advanced training in current and future towing operations. Captain Eric Johansson, professor of professional maritime training at SUNY Maritime, provided Assemblywoman Jenne with an opportunity to experience piloting the tug in a snow storm.
BOTTOM PHOTOS:
Assemblywoman Addie A.E. Jenne experiences operating a tug boat from the bridge at SUNY Maritime's Bouchard Tug and Barge Simulation Center under the watchful eye of SUNY Maritime Provost and Academic Affairs Vice President Joseph Hoffman. Tracy Gyoerkoe, director of Career, Technical, Adult and Continuing Education at Jefferson-Lewis BOCES, and Dan Gyoerkoe, executive director of the Antique & Classic Boat Society, Clayton, (far right) keep an eye on Assemblywoman Jenne's training skills.
Captain Eric Johansson, professor of professional maritime training at SUNY Maritime, gives a tip to Assemblywoman Addie A.E. Jenne as she simulates operating a tug boat in New York Harbor at at SUNY Maritime's Bouchard Tug and Barge Simulation Center.
Captain Ernie Fink, dean of Maritime Education and Training at SUNY Maritime, warns Assemblywoman Jenne of a hazard as she stands at the wheel of a tugboat pushing a barge at SUNY Maritime's Bouchard Tug and Barge Simulation Center.
Captain Eric Johansson, professor of professional maritime training at SUNY Maritime, shares information about some of the exhibits at the Maritime Industry Museum at Fort Schuyler to Lenore VanderZee, executive director of University Relations at SUNY Canton (far right) and Assemblywoman Addie A.E. Jenne (second from right). SUNY Maritime College Maritime Education & Training Dean Ernie Fink, a captain (partially hidden), and SUNY Maritime Provost Joseph Hoffman (second from left) also joined the assemblywoman on the tour of the college's campus in the Bronx.
Captain Eric Johansson, professor of professional maritime training at SUNY Maritime (foreground), talks to Assemblywoman Addie A.E. Jenne about the history of the Maritime Industry Museum at Fort Schuyler located on the college campus grounds in the Bronx. SUNY Maritime Provost Joseph Hoffman (left) also takes part in the conversation.
Ayman Alakkawi, professor of professional mariner training at SUNY Maritime, talks to Assemblywoman Addie A.E. Jenne about the engine room simulator classroom at SUNY Maritime in the Bronx.
Ayman Alakkawi, professor of professional mariner training at SUNY Maritime (left) and Captain Ernie Fink, dean of Maritime Education and Training at SUNY Maritime (right), discuss the value on the engine room simulator for training with Assemblywoman Addie A.E. Jenne.
Assemblywoman Addie A.E. Jenne talks with Captain Ernie Fink, dean of Maritime Education and Training at SUNY Maritime (right), about training programs that are offered at the college. Lafargeville Central School Superintendent Travis Hoover and Jefferson Community College Continuing Education and Community Engagement Dean Terrance Anderson are shown in the background testing the engine room simulation exercises.
Ayman Alakkawi, professor of professional mariner training at SUNY Maritime, shows Assemblywoman Addie A.E. Jenne and education officials from St. Lawrence and Jefferson counties the bridge in the engine room simulator at SUNY Maritime. Pictured are (l-r): Mr. Alakkawi, SUNY Maritime Provost Joseph Hoffman, Antique & Classic Boat Society Executive Director Dan Gyoerkoe, Assemblywoman Jenne and Jefferson-Lewis BOCES Career, Technical, Adult and Continuing Education Director Tracy Gyoerkoe.
Ayman Alakkawi, professor of professional mariner training at SUNY Maritime, shows Assemblywoman Addie A.E. Jenne and education officials from St. Lawrence and Jefferson counties the bridge in the engine room simulator at SUNY Maritime. Pictured are (l-r): Mr. Alakkawi, SUNY Maritime Provost Joseph Hoffman, Antique & Classic Boat Society Executive Director Dan Gyoerkoe and Assemblywoman Jenne.
