NY Offers Free Online Training For Hudson Valley Residents

HUDSON VALLEY, NY — In an effort to help Hudson Valley residents who are unemployed or underemployed, the state of New York launched a new free online training platform.

It is designed to help all residents of the state navigate the new coronavirus pandemic by helping giving them the opportunity to learn new skills, earn certificates and advance their careers at no cost.

According to a news release, the new tool will provide access to about 4,000 online programs taught by leading professors and industry professionals on Coursera. The focus will be on high-growth and in-demand sectors such as advanced manufacturing, technology, health care and more.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo said this is only one front in the war against the deadly virus.

"While we are doing everything we can to protect the health of New Yorkers, we must also take the steps necessary for building back a strong economy," he said in a prepared statement.

The new training platform will help ensure residents of the state are not left behind by providing access to resources and training they need to get back on their feet, he said.

Coursera and the state Department of Labor have partnered to provide the free course offerings.

Topics of the nearly 4,000 courses include managing a remote team, business writing, marketing in a digital world, cybersecurity, entrepreneurship and the art of negotiation.

New Yorkers can get a free account and find out more about course offerings through this state website. The full Coursera catalog can be seen here.

The state will also partner with New York-based businesses to encourage their employees to utilize this free learning opportunity.

Free courses and opportunities to get new professional certifications couldn't come at a better time for residents of the Hudson Valley.

According to the state labor department, for the 12-month period ending September 2020, the private sector job count in the Hudson Valley fell by 86,000 — or 10.6 percent — to 727,200.

The September 2020 over-the-year job losses continue to reflect the impact of the pandemic. At 727,200, the private sector job count has reached its lowest September level since 2010.

Job losses, the state said, were centered in leisure and hospitality (down 33,600), trade, transportation and utilities (down 14,500), professional and business services (down 10,600), educational and health services (down 9,200), other services (down 8,600), natural resources, mining and construction (down 5,100), manufacturing (down 3,800) and financial activities (down 1,000).

Within the region, the Orange-Rockland-Westchester labor market area’s private employment sector declined the fastest year-over-year, down 11.3 percent. They were followed by the Dutchess-Putnam MSA (-9.6 percent), Sullivan County (-8.4 percent) and the Kingston MSA (-5.8 percent).