BINGHAMTON, NY – The SUNY Business and Education Cooperative of the Southern Tier (SUNY BEST) will host a presentation, titled “SUNY Works: A Win-Win for New York State,” at 10 a.m. Thursday, May 2, in room LN 1324C of the Continuing Education and Outreach Department on the Binghamton University campus. This presentation is free and open to the public.

In order to meet the demands of the workforce needs in New York State, the US and global economies’ new strategies will be required to produce more educated workers. SUNY Works features a unique cooperative education (co-op) and structured internship model where students engage in 21st-century career experiences directly related to their program of study, expanding job opportunities upon graduation. Co-op students participate in paid work experiences and internship opportunities can be either paid or unpaid.

Guest speaker Paula Perna, Program Manager for the SUNY Works Cooperative Education and Structured Internship Program at SUNY System Administration will highlight the research and development of the SUNY Works co-op and internship model, plans to scale-up the project across all 64 SUNY campuses, and most importantly, the benefits to students, institutions of higher education and business/industry partners across the state.           

Prior to joining SUNY, Perna was a youth support specialist for The Career Development and Youth Initiatives at the New York State Department of Labor and a Program Director/Workforce Educator at Cornell Cooperative Extension in Broome County. She is a graduate of two SUNY institutions, Broome Community College and Binghamton University and holds a Master’s in Corporate and Community Education from Elmira College.

Directional signage will be visible for those entering the main entrance of the campus from the Vestal Parkway. Parking is available at the visitors’ paid lot, across from Bartle Library and in the parking garage behind the Couper Administration building. 

SUNY BEST is a volunteer group comprised of senior staff members from key economic and educational institutions in the Southern Tier. The group works to forge strong alliances, strengthen industry specific needs and provide information and outreach for business.