Relates to training and education courses for certain organizations

Summary of provisions

Section 1 of the bill amends section 103 of the state technology law to make fire districts, volunteer fire organizations, and volunteer ambulance organizations eligible to participate in the Empire Knowledge Bank program offered by the NYS Office of Information Technology Services.

Section 2 of the bill amends subdivision 3 of section 99-q of the state finance law to make participation in the Empire Knowledge Bank program eligible for grant funding through the Volunteer Firefighting and Volunteer Emergency Services Recruitment and Retention Fund.

Section 3 of the bill is the effective date.

Justification

The Empire Knowledge Bank is a training and education program offered by the NYS Office of Information Technology. The program is an e-learning program that provides a convenient and cost-effective way to continue training and develop professional skills. The program offers over 3,000 courses in information technology (e.g. programming, web development, security), professional development (e.g. management, leadership, project management, accounting, human resources), and desktop software (e.g. word processing, spreadsheets, etc.). For a small fee, dozens of government agencies have participated in the Empire Knowledge Bank in recent years. At this time, the program is not open to not-for-profit volunteer emergency response organizations.

Volunteer emergency response organizations are experiencing difficulty with retention of existing members and the recruitment of new members. Training and education opportunities are benefits that are projected to enhance recruitment and retention efforts within the volunteer fire service. The courses offered through the Empire Knowledge Bank program would serve the volunteer fire service well at both the organizational level and at the individual volunteer level.

At the organizational level, courses in accounting or financial management would be helpful for proper record-keeping and financial duties at the firehouse or ambulance company. Also, courses in information technology and software applications will assist in improving administrative effectiveness and efficiency. This type of training and education will help volunteer fire companies and ambulance companies better serve the communities they protect.

For individual emergency response volunteers, the Empire Knowledge Bank provides various personal and professional benefits. For example, some volunteer emergency responders are small business owners The

professional development courses offered in the program may provide useful education on how to improve operations at their business, or help them develop a skill that they currently do not possess. In addition, according to the website for the Office of Information Technology Services, the program also offers courses that provide continuing education credits and courses that follow professional tracks for Six Sigma, Project Management, and others. Making this type of training available to volunteer responders will help retain existing volunteers that are working to maintain their volunteer and professional activities. Further, some courses may even be eligible for college credit. These courses will be especially attractive to young men and women that are interested in volunteering but have not done so because of their need to work in order to pay for college.

By making volunteer fire and ambulance companies eligible for the Empire Knowledge Bank, volunteers will be provided with personal and professional development benefits that will aid in the recruitment and retention of members. This will help ensure that our communities have the volunteers they need in order to ensure the highest levels of fire protection and emergency response services.

Bill history

New Bill

Fiscal implications

None

Effective date

On the 90th day after it shall have become a law.