Suffolk County Executive Steven Bellone Joins with the IDA to Announce Groundbreaking STEMM Jobs Initiative

New Website Fuels Jobs in the Region’s Innovation Economy

Hauppauge, N.Y. (August 16, 2013) - Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone joins with Suffolk County Industrial Development Agency Executive Director Anthony Manetta in announcing an innovative new jobs website that bridges the gap between job seekers with prospective employers in Suffolk County.The site, www.jobs.suffolkida.org,  has an initial listing of over 115 jobs and over 20 companies participating.

"This is a groundbreaking initiative that the IDA is launching. This helps fuel Suffolk's innovation and manufacturing economy,” states County Executive Steven Bellone. Graduating college students are especially urged to visit the site for full-time employment opportunities. "Providing this tool for our younger workers is critical to having them continue to call Suffolk County home and reverse the trends of years past."

The website, www.jobs.suffolkida.org, is a sleek, simple to use, free interface where companies post job openings and residents can apply for jobs. This site is specifically tailored to the STEMM fields of science, technology, engineering and math. The initiative adds an "M" on the traditional STEM acronym to work with local manufactures on their hiring needs.

The program will be sustainable long term due to a change in the IDA’s policy. Companies who receive agency benefits are now required to post jobs online. Currently, companies are to list the jobs they create with the NYS Department of Labor; however now County residents will have more efficient and direct access to jobs created by companies who receive IDA incentives.

"This initiative provides a unique opportunity in a highly focused industry specific environment to mutually benefit our companies and workforce," says Anthony Manetta, CEO/ Executive Director of the Suffolk County IDA. "Now with this new posting requirement, IDA companies will be more engaged in recruiting locally to fill jobs they create for receiving tax incentives."

Yusong Yin, CEO of Photonics Industries says regarding the new initiative, "The IDA is providing a dedicated site geared toward applicants that I want to reach. This is a great program, I'm proud to be part of it." 

Potential employers like Mr. Yin have always looked locally for talent. The IDA’s new website is creating a medium by which those employers can easily find talented local applicants. At the site’s launch the company has 10 jobs posted including positions such as “Laser Engineer,” “Senior Electronics Engineer” and “Machinist.”

Kevin Law, President & CEO of the Long Island Association, says, "The Suffolk IDA continues to lead the way with innovative programs. Our employers now have an effective tool to recruit a highly qualified local workforce."

Dr. Shaun McKay, President of Suffolk County Community College, says, "The Suffolk County Community College has career development programs that provide students with the skill set for a variety of jobs, including manufacturing. This initiative by the IDA will help create additional opportunities for our students."

Stony Brook University Vice President for Economic Development Yacov Shamash endorsed the initiative, saying, "This innovative approach to public-private collaboration will benefit both the companies that need STEMM-skilled talent, and the recent and not-so-recent graduates from Stony Brook and other campuses in the region who have these skills. And that will be a win for the County."

The Suffolk County IDA has developed a close working relationship with the Suffolk County's Department of Labor to promote this new program among the County’s network of unemployed or underemployed residents.

"The Department of Labor and the IDA have forged an unprecedented relationship. This jobs effort at the IDA will give the residents of Suffolk County and the businesses a new job development tool," explains Commissioner of Labor Samuel Chu.

Suffolk County Deputy Executive and Commissioner of Economic Development & Planning Joanne Minieri states, "Creating a pro-business and pro-workforce website focused on STEMM jobs brings a unfounded level of government support."

The IDA has also partnered with WorkMarket, an IDA Boost Company, to link to the company’s freelance work opportunities job feed.

Long Island based companies who are not Suffolk County IDA clients are encouraged to join the site. There are two requirements for a company's participation: they have to be based in Suffolk County, and their company must be in a STEMM industry or the perspective job is STEMM related.

Resource partners of the initiative include Stony Brook University, Suffolk County Community College, Long Island Association, Suffolk County Department of Labor, Long Island Forum for Technology (LIFT) and LISTnet. A sampling of companies participating are Canon USA, LNK International, Contract Pharmacal, Marchon, D'Addario, A&Z Pharmaceuticals, Spellman High Voltage, Sartorius and KLD Labs.

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