Over the last five years, the accomplishments we’ve made toward educating and nurturing a skilled workforce, revitalizing our housing stock and supporting underserved populations through our collaborative partnership is apparent and unprecedented. Those accomplishments were the result of Vision 2020, a game-changing initiative that thrives off the cooperation of community leaders. United in a manner rarely seen before, these volunteers work collaboratively to identify new economic opportunities and propel the community into the future.
To date, their accomplishments and collective impact have been nothing short of astounding.
The number of internships for area students has skyrocketed as numerous colleges and business partners develop outreach programs and create opportunities for students of all levels. They’ve been exposed to various career paths, creating a pipeline of skilled
workers ready to enter the workforce. In order to handle housing needs for our current, growing workforce and new arrivals to our diverse community, we have examined our evolving housing market. Vision 2020 activities are encouraging development of housing opportunities that will meet the demands of a changing population and workforce demographics.
We are also examining transportation alternatives and connectivity to make it easier to travel in the county, be it for work or play. The work of our Vision 2020 transportation committee was instrumental in obtaining a New York State Energy Research Development Authority grant to complete a “smart technologies” study to connect all roadways in Oneida County.
Moving forward, we will continue to amplify the results of our efforts. Students will continue to be exposed to a variety of opportunities in high-tech fields and expanded career pathways. We will continue to share trend data and resources with employment development agencies to inform them of emerging economic development opportunities in our county. We will work to ensure that newcomers to our diverse community have access to current and future opportunities.
We are a community of hard-working people, joined together in a mission to grow and realize our potential. That’s the heart of it: Bold Change. Real Impact.
-Anthony J. Picente Jr.
Oneida County Executive
Vision 2020 Mission: Oneida County’s Vision 2020 Initiative will cultivate, attract and empower skilled workers, and will foster an entrepreneurial spirit and the renewal of our communities.
Vision 2020 Guiding Principles
Each recommendation will be supported by research and data.
All strategies and tactics will be designed to support the needs of a new economy, including job creation, education, housing, and diversity needs of future employers.
Established milestones will be immediately actionable and built to support long-term needs.
As a result, the following are action plans that:
Are guided and resourced by Oneida County government.
Maximize available resources.
Achieve an optimum blend of efficiency and effectiveness.
Provide a set of recommended strategies and tactics to optimally position the County for economic growth in the very near future.
