Education & Training
There are 15 colleges and universities and 5 community colleges within a one hour drive
FMCC
Fulton-Montgomery Community College
is a force behind improving educational attainment in the Region and a draw for the Fulton County students seeking their Associates Degree. With 3,000 students and 40 degree and certificate programs including IT related programs, numerous health care degrees, a new cleanroom, automated manufacturing lab, and high-tech patient simulators, FMCC develops tailor made programs to train students in high tech fields.
Customized Training and Degree Programs to Serve Your Business Needs
When the business community speaks, the faculty at Fulton-Montgomery Community College (FMCC) listens. “We change our programs and courses based on input from our employer groups,” said Mark Swain, assistant professor of accounting and business.
Within a one-hour drive of Fulton County are fifteen colleges and universities and five community colleges, including the College of Nanoscale Science & Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), SUNY Albany, and the Albany College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences. These renowned colleges and universities provide trained and skilled labor to businesses in the Region.
The Hamilton-Fulton-Montgomery Board of Cooperative Educational Services (HFM-BOCES) currently operates two new Pathways in Technology Early College High School (PTECH) programs servicing Fulton County. PTECH is an innovative model for secondary education. Students enter PTECH in 9th grade and earn a Regents high school diploma as well as an Associate Degree from FMCC in 4-6 years.
Students graduating from these PTECH programs represent another source of skilled and trained labor for local employers not available in many other areas of New York State that don’t operate PTECH programs.
There is a strong consensus among County educators that while new companies are bringing more jobs with good salaries, students need more than the traditional high school diploma to enter a middleclass lifestyle. The need for post-secondary training is essential to earn a living wage.
