Among the many established and emerging companies in the Finger Lakes’ Optics, Photonics and Imaging (OPI) corridor, the industry's explosive growth—and future potential—is a rallying cry. But that growth has also exposed a very real challenge: the need for trained technicians ready to fill the existing and new jobs created by the boom.
While it seems like a daunting task, Monroe Community College’s (MCC) Optics and Photonics Technology program and its director, Dr. Alexis Vogt, view the growth in OPI as an opportunity that can benefit not only the region but all of New York State and beyond.
“I run the only Optical Systems Technology program in the country that is currently training and graduating students in optics fabrication,” says Vogt, who serves as the Rochester-based school's endowed chair and associate professor of Optics. She's become an impassioned advocate for OPI workforce training, and is working hard to help the industry realize its potential.
