Stephen Tucker leads a Buffalo training hub with a high-profile mission.
He is the president and CEO of the Northland Workforce Training Center, which opened last year and focuses on training workers for jobs in advanced manufacturing and energy. The center, a Buffalo Billion-driven initiative, is the anchor of a revitalized complex on the East Side that will add Buffalo Manufacturing Works and Insyte Consulting this year.
Tucker oversees the day-to-day operations and management of the workforce center. He was hired in 2017 after working as a top executive at a Cincinnati workforce development agency. The Air Force veteran earned an MBA from Indiana Wesleyan University.
Northland's training program aims to close the gap between employers who lack qualified job candidates and individuals who need the proper skills to get hired. Manufacturers say they need more workers because of a wave of anticipated retirements, as well as growth by some companies.