Career and Technical BOCES Programs will be easier to access next year for students and adults living in the city of Niagara Falls. WBFO's senior reporter Eileen Buckley says the Orleans-Niagara BOCES will open up a new center on Sixth Street.
Orleans-Niagara BOCES will open up a new center on Sixth Street in the city of Niagara Falls.
Credit WBFO News photo by Jonny Moran
Dr. Clark Godshall is the District Superintendent of the Orleans-Niagara BOCES. He gave reporters a tour of work underway inside the building. BOCES has agreed to a ten year lease to utilize the former vacant Niagara Falls School District administrative building to set up programs for city students.
“Well I think we are kicking it off with our nursing program in terms of award winning nursing programs, excellent training by our staff – giving our future students the path,” noted Godshall.
The BOCES leader noted their program attracts more adult students then traditional day-students.
“We do more adult education then we do day students, so to come into a high density – they need literacy, they need a site where they can come develop their job skills. It’s going to be local, there’s great transportation nearby, so there’s no counter-argument you can’t get to training. It’s right for the population,” Godshall explained.
Niagara Falls Mayor Paul Dyster tells WBFO bringing these educational programs into the city will help students and adults who find it difficult to travel into Sanborn.
“It’s also very close to Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center, which is just a few blocks to the east here, which is really tremendous in terms of giving students practical experience who are in the LPN program, for example, so I think it’s going to be a real benefit to our inner-city kids, young adults – the love the programming in Sanborn, but it’s just very difficult for them to get there,” Dyster remarked.
The LPN program will be moved to the Falls site and other programs will also be created. Ellicott Development is working to transform the building into the BOCES training center. Approximately 600 to 800 students will be housed at the site. It is expected to open sometime in January.
