Nearly $7 million in funding to train workers in career fields that are expected to grow throughout New York is being awarded to 37 different state colleges and universities in the state, but SUNY Potsdam and SUNY Canton are not among them.

Every SUNY campus was eligible for funding as part of the High Needs Program. The number and amount of awards given is based on the quantity, quality and scope of applications received, and varied this year from $36,800 to $100,000, according to Gov. Andrew Cuomo. "With this year’s launch of Open SUNY, priority was given to programs where the majority of courses can be taken online."

SUNY campuses will use the awards to create development programs in high-needs fields, which are determined by Department of Labor and Empire State Development, and take into account New York’s needs by region. Occupations are considered high need if they are projected to have a large number of openings or a high growth rate in the coming years, Cuomo said.

Based on Department of Labor data, over the next 10 years, New York will need approximately 2,340 engineers and engineering technologists, 18,550 new healthcare practitioners and health technicians, 9,000 business and finance professionals and 6,500 community and social service professionals.

The top five occupations that have been identified as high need in renewable clean energy include civil engineers, environmental engineers, mechanical engineers, and heating, air conditioning and refrigeration mechanics and installers.

There is also a growing need in New York, similar to a nationwide trend, for biological technicians, chemical technicians and medical and clinical laboratory technicians, as well as experts in information technology who specialize in cloud computing, smartphones, tablets and easily accessible software applications, Cuomo said.