MCC optics apprenticeship expands as national workforce model

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Monroe Community College is strengthening the national optics and photonics workforce through the continued expansion of its optics programs, including the optics apprenticeship program—an initiative that began in Rochester and has grown into a model adopted by companies across the country. 

Launched more than a decade ago in partnership with Optimax Systems as the first registered optics apprenticeship in the nation, the program was expanded nationally in 2022 in response to accelerating demand for skilled technicians.  

Its hybrid structure allows participants to remain fully employed while advancing their technical training.  

The apprentices complete coursework remotely during the academic semester and travel to MCC’s Rochester campus each January and June for intensive, hands-on laboratory instruction using industry-standard equipment. 

The program now attracts apprentices from optics companies nationwide, with recent participants traveling from states including Arkansas, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma and Maryland.  

In addition, MCC supports remote learners employed by out-of-state firms who are not formally enrolled as apprentices but complete the same coursework and on-campus lab sessions.  

Locally, apprentices come from leading regional employers such as Corning, Optimax, OptPro, Rochester Precision Optics, Syntec and Sydor Optics. 

Rooted in MCC’s nationally recognized Optical Systems Technology program, the apprenticeship prepares technicians for careers in optical fabrication, testing, photonics, laser technology and precision manufacturing.  

Dr. Alexis Vogt, endowed chair and professor of Optics at MCC, said industry demand is driving growth in MCC’s optics programs, whether that be the apprenticeship program, micro-credentials, certificates or a two-year degree.  

For example, MCC’s associate of applied science degree in Optical Systems Technology, which is the oldest two-year degree program for training technicians to work in the optics and photonics industry, has grown from just five students in 2014 to more than 150 today 

“There is a huge workforce need in the optics industry,” Vogt said, noting that MCC is the only institution offering a remote optics apprenticeship model combined with in-person laboratory immersion.  

As the optics and photonics sector continues to expand, employers are increasingly turning to apprenticeships as a strategic tool to develop, retain and upskill talent, she noted. 

The program also reinforces Rochester’s position as a global center for optics, photonics, imaging and lasers (OPIL).  

The Greater Rochester region is home to more than 150 OPIL companies employing approximately 19,000 people, and since 2017 the sector has driven more than $1.1 billion in capital investment and created roughly 4,300 jobs.  

Greater Rochester Enterprise and New York Photonics announced in January a strategic alliance aimed at accelerating business attraction, expansion and innovation across the sector. Vogt was recently named executive director of New York Photonics, succeeding longtime leader Tom Battley, who retired.

“Partnering with New York Photonics enables us to better leverage our regional assets on a global scale, further accelerating the trend of world-class businesses choosing to grow in this region,” said Matt Hurlbutt, GRE president and CEO.

That growing interest in the industry coincides with major investments in MCC’s training infrastructure.  

More than $4.15 million in philanthropic support has been committed to the Optical Systems Technology program and its new Advanced Technology Center (ATC), including a $3 million naming gift from Sydor Optics, a $1 million endowed directorship from John and Barbara Bruning and a $150,000 investment from SPIE to establish an advanced optics laboratory. 

Currently under construction on MCC’s Brighton Campus, the $69 million, 110,000-square-foot Advanced Technology Center is scheduled to open in fall 2026.  

The facility will more than double the size of the existing building and serve as a hub for advanced manufacturing education, including optics, precision tooling, HVAC, automotive technology and renewable energy. Supported by a mix of public and private funding, the ATC is designed to strengthen workforce pipelines for critical industries across the Finger Lakes region, college leaders have said.

With continued federal support—including U.S. Department of Defense funding to expand apprenticeship coordination—MCC is positioning its optics program as a scalable, employer-driven solution to one of the industry’s most pressing challenges: access to skilled, job-ready talent, Vogt noted.  

“We’re always looking for more companies to partner with,” she said. “There’s a huge benefit for employers.”  

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