New York senator secures funding for manufacturing training center

State Sen. Patty Ritchie is pictured in front of CiTi’s new CNC machine with instructor Joe Hawksby and Ron Camp, director of alternative programs.

State Sen. Patty Ritchie, R-N.Y., has announced she has secured $50,000 in state funding for machinery being used by Center for Instruction, Technology and Innovation (CiTi) BOCES students in Mexico, N.Y., to help prepare them for careers in manufacturing and engineering.

The funding was used to purchase a CNC machine used for protyping and part production in CiTi’s Advanced Metal Manufacturing program. In the class, students learn design, machining, fabricating, and welding of raw materials like steel, brass, and aluminum.

The students use engineering drawing techniques and design software for their plans and then use machine tools and fabricating equipment to assemble their projects.