New Energy Lab Pioneers High School Entry into U.S. Battery and Energy Storage Industry
Powered by New Energy New York, Broome-Tioga BOCES and Chenango Forks High School.
On Jan. 18 Chenango Forks High School celebrated the ribbon cutting and recruitment day for the New Energy Lab, an innovative program developed under the New Energy New York (NENY) workforce project, spearheaded by Broome-Tioga BOCES, Binghamton University and Chenango Forks High School. The nation’s first program of its kind is setting the benchmark for high school programming tailored to meet the rapidly increasing demands of the battery and energy storage industry.
Students of the New Energy Lab engage in a comprehensive educational journey, gaining both practical knowledge and hands-on experience within classroom settings and industry floors. Upon graduation, these students emerge with a robust skill set, including a high school diploma, university credentials, OSHA certification, welding and soldering certification, on-the-job experience in sought-after careers and the confidence to lead the next generation of the workforce.
“This program exemplifies partnership and a commitment to expanding opportunities in our communities. The students who took a chance on us during the program’s pilot phase are pioneers showcasing the future potential we unveiled today. Investing in our youth is the starting point for addressing the imminent demand for skilled workers in high-demand jobs.” NENY Director of Workforce Development Stacey Johnson said as she emphasized the significance of this program.
This ground-breaking program is a milestone in high school education. The opportunity for high school students venturing into the booming field of battery and energy storage is a result of a solid partnership that brings assets and collaboration to an unprecedented level.
“It’s a celebration of the partnerships that we [at Chenango Forks] formed recently with Broome-Tioga BOCES and the NENY initiative,” Chenenago Forks Superintendant Tom Burkhardt said of the ribbon-cutting ceremony. “To have students highlight the skills and the learning that’s taken place in just that short time has really ignited excitement with a new batch of recruits that have come in and visited them today across the region.”
Broome-Tioga BOCES, a NENY coalition partner, is operating the course through its Career and Technical Education (CTE) program. Having the course offered directly at the school was an incentive for Chenango Forks junior Jack Rullo to participate.
“You just get to learn and have fun,” Rullo commented. “I wasn’t too sure what I wanted to do when I was older, that’s why I joined this and [it] sort of gave me the idea.”
Since learning more about the industry through the New Energy Lab, Rullo is considering attending SUNY Broome Community College and transferring to RIT.
Another current student in this program, Chenango Forks junior William Johnson, plans to enter the electrical trades after high school. He credits the program with helping him learn some of the basics that will open him up to different jobs in the future, stating, “We learned about Ohm’s Law, which is a big key, and we’re learning about where to put wires, parallel circuits and series circuits.”
Rullo and Johnson’s New Energy Lab instructor and retired engineer, Dominik Mantella, underscores the program’s significance, stating, “They’re learning math, physics, troubleshooting — life skills. This program and its partners represent not only an opportunity to shape the future workforce but also serve as a replicable model.”
Two senior student participants, Jacob Beadle and Haidyn Baker, contributed their time during the ribbon cutting as panelists where they took questions from high school students across the region. Due to the attendance demand for the day’s events from area school districts, a second day of panel discussion and tours of BAE was scheduled for Monday, Jan. 22. While the ribbon cutting took place, current students presented about their experience to an audience of rising high school juniors and seniors across eight school districts. The New Energy Lab program has received interest from an overwhelming 120 additional students across the region for the coming academic year.
The New Energy Lab and its resulting partnership between NENY, Broome-Tioga BOCES and Chenango Forks presents an opportunity — not only for the molding of the future workforce but as a model to be replicated.
Broome-Tioge BOCES Director Matt Sheehan shares the program’s aspirations for expansion, envisioning additional classrooms throughout the Southern Tier and the broader state. He emphasizes that the current initiative marks only the beginning of a transformative journey in education. “The biggest takeaway from today, this is only the beginning,” Sheehan stated.
