MIDDLETOWN, N.Y. – SUNY Orange is using a State University of New York (SUNY) Workforce Development grant to support leadership training being offered to staff and executives at Walden Savings Bank, partnering with the bank to improve employee performance and internal communications in order to better serve customers and clients.

The grant offsets 40 percent of the cost of the training, which is ongoing currently and is expected to conclude in July. Forty of WSB’s team members are taking the six-module course being delivered by Anna Gibbs, a noted local executive leadership coach, consultant and speaker who partners with organizations to elevate leadership performance, strengthen internal culture and drive results.

Upon completing the program, participants should be able to lead with greater clarity and confidence, communicate in a way that strengthens trust, build a culture of accountability, elevate overall team performance, and align their contributions with the priorities of the organization.

“SUNY Orange made the entire process incredibly easy, allowing us to focus on what matters most, developing our people. We’re already seeing the benefits from our recent leadership training. This continued partnership is something we truly value, it certainly won’t be our last time working together,” said Keith Porsch, Walden Saving Bank’s assistant vice president, training and talent manager.

With oversight from its SUNY Orange Plus division, SUNY Orange hopes to use the grant and this collaborative partnership with Walden Savings Bank to jump start expanded Business to Business relationships where the College can work in partnership with Hudson Valley businesses to deliver customized trainings, at the organizational level, as a way to complement the College’s robust individualized workforce training and certification courses.

Applications for SUNY Workforce Development grants can be submitted year-round, as long as fiscal year funding has not been exhausted. SUNY Orange Plus can work with interested employers to develop competitive, compliant grant applications. Upon approval of the grant, SUNY Orange Plus manages the grant process and curriculum delivery.

The SUNY grants cover 40 to 60 percent of training costs, depending on the delivery method. It also supports customized, non-mandated workforce training made available for individual employers or consortium partnerships. Funding up to $50,000 per employer per grant year is available.

Employers can expect SUNY Orange Plus to provide guidance on eligibility and allowable training topics; full grant development and submission support; budgeting, documentation, and reporting support; clear expectations for employer cost-share and participation; and connection with established training partners to develop customized training aligned with organizational needs.

“As we have worked with local businesses to determine how we can expand pipelines of available trained or certified workers at the individual level, many of them have told us they could also benefit from organization-level trainings,” said Dr. Stephanie Compasso-Geyer, executive director of workforce development at SUNY Orange. “Our goal as we start to expand our B2B programming is to work hand-in-hand with businesses to identify and deliver programs tailored to their organizational needs, and this partnership with Walden and Anna is an example of that.”

For more information on business programming or workforce training and certification courses available from SUNY Orange Plus, feel free to email at plus@sunyorange.edu or call (845) 341-4890.