Capri O'Hara, director of Workforce Development at NY Creates and director of GE Next Engineers Capital Region, shares how and why GE's Next Engineers program has expanded to New York's Capital Region. The local initiative, a partnership between GE Aerospace, the University at Albany, NY Creates, and the Museum of Innovation and Science (miSci), is a STEM-focused education and college-readiness program designed to inspire and prepare young people for careers in engineering. Next Engineers is a global initiative started by the GE Aerospace Foundation to help students ages 13–18 explore engineering, gain hands-on experience, and prepare for college and careers in engineering fields. It combines classroom and real-world project learning, mentoring, and career guidance, and for many participants, scholarship opportunities are available when they pursue an engineering degree.
Application Dealine: Friday, February 13, 2026 (Scroll down for instructions on how to apply.)
GE Next Engineers New York Capital Region
University at Albany College of Nanotechnology, Science and Engineering
Capri O'Hara (see full bio below)
Dr. Bradley Thiel, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, and Professor, College of Nanotechnology, Science and Engineering
GE Aerospace Foundation Launches Next Engineers with UAlbany, miSci and NY Creates
HOW TO APPLY:
The Next Engineers Academy application is now open. We encourage all interested 10th grade students to apply and take advantage of this unique opportunity to explore engineering, technology, and hands-on learning experiences.
To get started, students should first create an account and then begin the application through the online portal.
How to Apply page: https://www.nextengineers.org/how-apply-engineering-academy
Create account and Apply: https://www.nextengineers.org/locations/newyork
CAPRI O'HARA BIO:
Capri O’Hara is a recognized leader in workforce development, educational initiatives, apprenticeship programming, and engineering career pathways, bringing deep expertise to the fast-moving world of semiconductor education and training. Capri serves as the Director of Workforce Development at NY Creates, and as Director of GE Next Engineers – Capital Region, New York in partnership with University at Albany, where she plays a central role in building a strong, future-ready engineering talent pipeline.
Grounded in a student-centered, experiential learning philosophy, Capri works at the intersection of education, innovation, and industry. Her programs connect learners to real-world engineering opportunities, equipping them with the technical skills, problem-solving abilities, and adaptability needed to thrive in advanced manufacturing and high-tech careers.
Capri led the development and launch of a gateway New York State Registered Apprenticeship Program in partnership with NY Creates, the Center for Economic Growth, Hudson Valley Community College, and NIICA. She also helped launch the Capital Region BOCES New Visions Emerging Technologies Program, providing high school students with specialized training in semiconductors and advanced manufacturing. Her portfolio spans K–12 engagement, postsecondary and faculty development, and immersive experiential learning initiatives, supporting learners across New York State and nationally.
Through strategic partnerships and a learner-centered approach, Capri is committed to inspiring curiosity, expanding access, and building inclusive pathways that strengthen the engineering and semiconductor workforce of the future.
The Engagement Ring, Episode 36: Preparing the Next Innovators and Problem Solvers
[Lively, upbeat theme music plays as program host Mary Hunt introduces the program and plays excerpts from the program.]
ANNOUNCER/MARY HUNT:
Welcome to The Engagement Ring. Your connection to an ever-widening network of higher education professionals, scholars and community partners working to make the world a better place. I'm Mary Hunt. Today on the podcast…
CAPRI O’HARA:
At its core, GE Next Engineers addresses a growing shortage of engineers and technically skilled talent needed to sustain innovation, manufacturing, economic growth. Especially in the Capital Region, this challenge is urgent as semiconductor and other technology sectors continue to expand.
ANNOUNCER/MARY HUNT:
I'll talk with Capri O'Hara, Director of Workforce Development at NY Creates and director of GE Next Engineers Capital Region, a partnership between GE Aerospace, the University at Albany's College of Nanotechnology, Science and Engineering, NY Creates, and the Museum of Innovation and Science. The program will play a vital role in inspiring and preparing the next generation of engineering leaders.
CAPRI O’HARA:
Many students never have the opportunity to see engineering as a viable career or understand the breadth of opportunities available and Next Engineers truly is designed to build a sustainable, inclusive pathway for these young learners.
ANNOUNCER/MARY HUNT:
Here's my conversation with Capri O'Hara.
[Music fades out.]
MARY HUNT:
Capri, welcome to the podcast.
CAPRI O’HARA:
Thank you so much for having me, Mary.
MARY HUNT:
Oh, it's a pleasure. You and I have worked on a number of projects in the past. I know we've got a couple coming up, particularly in the area of STEM education and family activity days for our community. So, I always look forward to those. And actually, UAlbany and NY Creates enjoys many active collaborations, particularly around semiconductor research, workforce development, industry partnerships and STEM education. Maybe a good place for us to start is for you to tell us a little bit about NY Creates and what your role is at NY Creates.
CAPRI O’HARA:
Absolutely Mary. Between our Nanovember event that was just such a success at UAlbany and our upcoming spring STEM event for all families to attend, UAlbany and NY Creates have been just been wonderful partners, and I'm so excited to continue our work together with this GE Next Engineers program in the Capital Region. NY Creates is New York's hub for advanced semiconductor research, development, innovation and workforce solutions. We connect education, industry and government to accelerate semiconductor innovation, expand the workforce, support economic growth in New York State and nationwide. NY Creates leverages partnerships and collaborations to enable advanced manufacturing and provide career pathways for the next generation of engineers and technical talents. There, I have used my background in education to focus on student-centric opportunities and creating pathways for learners wherever they may be at to reach their full potential. My work in educational outreach and workforce development centers on building both local and nationwide, and actually global, international-wide connections between education and industry, again, inspiring these students to explore engineering pathways in this program, from middle school and high school and then beyond.
MARY HUNT:
And NY Creates is right across the road. So, we do have lots of collaborations. Our faculty go back and forth and work with the industries there and the folks who run NY Creates. So it's a really rich and hopefully growing partnership… lots of lots of great development, particularly since the Capital Region is really becoming a semiconductor hub and lots of promise in that area, which is kind of why we're here to talk, I think why we want to talk about this project, this new venture that we're undertaking, the GE Next Engineers New York Capital Region project, and we're partnering with NY Creates, the University is, and also GE obviously, and the Museum of Innovation and Science. We know it as miSci here in the Schenectady area. So, every good community project has a purpose or has a reason that the partners are coming together and pooling their resources, their expertise and their talent. What is the purpose or the issue that Next Gen Engineers is trying to address?
CAPRI O’HARA:
So Next Engineers is designed to build a sustainable, inclusive pathway that starts early, meets students where they are, and then supports them through middle school and high school, connecting them to post-secondary education and future careers in education. At its core, GE Next Engineers addresses a growing shortage of engineers and technically skilled talent needed to sustain innovation, manufacturing, economic growth. Especially in the Capital Region, this challenge is urgent as semiconductor and other technology sectors continue to expand. But this isn't just about workforce demand. It's also about that inspiration, about inspiring youth at a young age to pursue these engineering pathways and helping them to see what their potential is, what is possible. Many students never have the opportunity to see engineering as a viable career or understand the breadth of opportunities available and Next Engineers truly is designed to build a sustainable, inclusive pathway for these young learners.
MARY HUNT:
You touched on it a bit there when you said some of the opportunities students have limit their access to engineering, but I'm curious what accounts for the shortage of engineers do you think, and should I say, a general lack of interest in engineering among students, or is it just a field they're not aware of? So why the shortage, and how might we interest and attract kids to engineering?
CAPRI O’HARA:
It's a plethora of factors, including the ones that you mentioned. So, the accessibility, the awareness… letting them know that there are many different types of engineering. You know, there isn't just, let's say, a civil engineer that is building a bridge. There's chemical engineering, process engineering, there's environmental engineering. There's so many different types of engineering that students really just aren't aware of. So inspiring these young students to learn about the different aspects of engineering and learn about how their new innovative ideas could be applied to technologies to maybe discover new materials that help in flight for some of our aerospace engineers, you know, really inspiring these students to enable them to have access and to be free to think outside the box. I think that's an important aspect of this program.
MARY HUNT:
You're a former science teacher, high school science teacher. So, did you see kids that maybe didn't see themselves as technologically gifted or capable? I mean, how do we break through that? Did you? Did you find that in your practice?
CAPRI O’HARA:
Oh, absolutely. And I think you know students that maybe feel… nontraditional students, or students that feel maybe that they aren't so, you know, ept at math or science, get very intimidated in large, you know, nanotechnology, or nanoscale environments. So, by inviting them into the College of Technology, Nanoscience and Engineering, by inviting them into NY Creates and the Albany Nanotech Center, you know, really showing them that these opportunities, these career pathways and these educational pathways are indeed available to them, really helps inspire and helps them to see themselves in that environment. So I think really by taking this program and giving them access to some of our GE aerospace engineers, some of our engineers at CNSE, at UAlbany, and some of our engineers at the Albany Nanotech, I think it's really important for them to be able to create those relationships and identify with the many different facets of engineering,
MARY HUNT:
And let's talk a little bit about how you're proposing to do that. I should say that planning on joining us today was Brad Thiel, professor and associate dean for Academic Affairs at UAlbany's College of Nanotechnology, Science and Engineering, and unfortunately, he had a last-minute schedule change. I know he was disappointed, but hopefully we'll get him back on and as the program gets underway, we'll talk more with both of you about how it's progressing and what you're seeing in the students and how they're reacting to the program. But let's talk about your approach. How are you proposing to get the kids interested? What kind of curriculum are you developing? What kind of activities? How are you designing a program that will achieve your goal?
CAPRI O’HARA:
So the Next Engineers program is designed with GE Aerospace, and it's a global and career readiness initiative created by the GE Aerospace Foundation to help inspire these young learners that we have just been speaking about to become engineers. We provide meaningful, hands-on experience, sustained learning opportunities, career exploration and time to speak with many different engineers in the many different fields of engineering. This program in the Capital Region is going to combine Engineering Discovery Program, which is experiences for middle school students. We have our team at miSci pushing into many of the middle schools in this area. And if any middle school teachers or administrators are out there listening, please contact us. We'd love to come in and inspire some of your middle schools with some fun, hands-on activities, and then we have a deeper Engineering Academy pathway. This pathway is for high school students, and the Engineering Academy is a two-year program that can help students become engineers through design challenges and skill-building workshops. And this academy program is open for 10th graders currently. These students are supported by GE aerospace engineers, by mentors, by educators, by University at Albany grad students, and they are going to engage in real world engineering projects that encourage creativity, problem solving and collaboration. These programs integrate project-based learning, engineer challenges, exposure to, again, industry and post-secondary engineering environments and students are going to be focused on being able to be creative and create opportunities that hopefully help to inspire them to realize their full potential. This student-centric approach, you know, really ensures that every participant can see this pathway to becoming an engineer.
MARY HUNT:
Are there eligibility requirements for the students who can participate? Is it a school district? School? What can you tell us about that?
CAPRI O’HARA:
Absolutely, so current 10th graders are all encouraged to apply if they have an interest. It's schools anywhere in the Capital District. We will be hosting one Saturday a month, and then a weeklong session in August for these students. We're really excited to have them. It'll be since they're about halfway through their 10th grade year, then all of their 11th grade year, and then it will end halfway through their 12th grade year. So, we really have the opportunity to get to know these students and help tailor their learning and their projects based on what they're excited about. We hope that every student that's interested in engineering applies, again 10th grade anywhere in the Capital Region, and again, we'll be meeting one day a month at the CNSE downtown campus in Albany, and the hours will be flexible, but probably from around nine to two. We are going to include lunch, and let's make it fun for these kids, you know…
MARY HUNT:
Oh yes, that’s the whole key.
CAPRI O’HARA:
… pizza and drinks and snacks, giving up their Saturday to come spend the one Saturday a month with myself and our new program manager, with the Associate Dean, and we're going to have our grad students present and GE Aerospace volunteers with our three University at Albany, instructors, So plenty of mentorship to really help these students be creative.
MARY HUNT:
I love that you're going to have grad students because I think they're close in age to the soon-to-be college students themselves, so they can sort of see themselves in those students and envision, you know, what it would be like.
CAPRI O’HARA:
Absolutely. Make it relatable. Make it be fun.
MARY HUNT:
Yeah, let's talk a little bit about… you touched on it but a little bit more about the role that each one of the partners plays. Is it possible to say, NY Creates, does this? GE is going to bring this? miSci will do this? UAlbany will do this? Or is it really, is there a great deal of overlap in what each one of the partners brings to the program?
CAPRI O’HARA:
Yes, Mary, there definitely is a great deal of overlap. I feel that from the creation of, you know, the spark of this idea that Dr Thiel had, we definitely have seen sort of a melding of, a coming together of partnerships or collaborations. So definitely, GE Aerospace provides the leadership, the mentorship and the scholarship opportunities that we haven't spoken about yet. So, each student that completes this program by their senior year will be receiving a $16,000 scholarship to pursue higher education in an engineering program to any university of their choice. So, GE Aerospace Foundation really values this program and really supports these students. miSci is delivering the hands-on engineering experiences that are going to spark this curiosity and creativity to those middle school students, eighth and ninth students, actually. The team at miSci is so inspirational. They came out to our Nanovember event here at the University at Albany, and they're very excited to sort of push into these middle schools. So again, if any middle school would like to have this team come out, it's completely free, at no cost to the school. And then we have, obviously University at Albany, which provides the academic alignment… the campus, the campus access to their beautiful new makerspace downtown, our faculty engagement, including our three amazing instructors. So, we're very, very excited for the students to have that access. While NY Creates is connecting the program, connecting the schools, connecting the program to regional workforce, economic development priorities for semiconductors, advanced manufacturing and other engineering aspects that students are interested in pursuing. Let's not forget the high schools, the high schools and the middle schools that are partnering with us. We're so, so excited to be developing these relationships. Schools help spark this curiosity and creativity, and we just want to build upon that school districts can help us identify students, support participation, and ensure that our programming is aligning with their curriculum and goals also.
MARY HUNT:
Is the program free to students? Is there any sort of cost?
CAPRI O’HARA:
The program is 100% free, completely supported by GE Aerospace Foundation.
MARY HUNT:
Can you name some of the other communities, whether in the United States or around the world, where the program has launched?
CAPRI O’HARA:
Absolutely so we are so lucky to be a part of this network. Yes, Next Engineers is a global initiative, and it has a growing footprint. They're going to continue to grow. Official program locations include, obviously the New York Capital Region. We just launched in October… in Cincinnati, Ohio, Greenville, South Carolina, Staffordshire in the UK, Warsaw, Poland, Johannesburg, South Africa, and Bengaluru, India also just launched. And each site is very tailored to their local education, local workforce, and you know, the needs of the students, again, to meet them where they're at, and really to help inspire and enrich any of the curriculum in that area. So, while maintaining the same mission of connecting young people to engineering through immersive, meaningful and hands-on learning, we're able, really, to create this global network and try to connect these students globally to the other Next Engineering program, which is pretty exciting.
MARY HUNT:
What's the application process like? And if you'd mentioned the deadline, I know you mentioned it once, but if you'll mention that again for us.
CAPRI O’HARA:
Yes. So, if any 10th grader is out there, or a parent of a 10th grader that is out there, interested in applying, please go visit our website. You need to make a profile. And then once you've made your interest profile, you can go ahead and sign on and start filling out your application. The application deadline is February 13, so that is less than a week away. So, we really encourage anyone that's interested to please apply. We will be accepting 30 students, 30 10th graders for each cohort, so 30 10th graders this year, and then if your student's a 9th grader and they would like to apply next year, they absolutely can also or if your student is an 8th grader, they can apply in two more years. The application does have a few criteria, including, we want to know if they've taken, let's say, an algebra class currently, or if they've taken it in the past. We highly recommend a reference letter, and that could be from anyone, a guidance counselor, a school counselor, a teacher or a coach. And then they do need to also, and they could be just a screenshot of their school tool to see what courses they're currently in and that they're passing all of their classes. This program does not need to be only for the straight A students. This is a very inclusive program for students to explore and really reach their full potential.
MARY HUNT:
Do you know what kind of an impact the program has had in communities where it is already underway, and what kind of an impact do you expect to see or are you hoping to see in the Capital Region?
CAPRI O’HARA:
So again, this program is really trying to lead to mentorship, hands-on exposure, a pipeline development to address industry talent shortages globally by creating a diverse and skilled pipeline of future engineers. The GE Next Engineers program has significantly impacted many different educational facilities reaching over 26,000 students globally, with a goal of over 43,000 by 2030. It’s boosted diversity in engineering with 77% of the academy graduates pursuing post-secondary engineering degrees, and this program provides this hands-on, 180 hours of training with over 90% completion rates in many of its first cohorts. Here locally, with both Discovery and Academy, our goal is to reach 4,000 students over the four years in the Capital Region. We really want to focus on early engagement so that students stay interested in STEM fields and pursue the next generation of engineers and innovators.
MARY HUNT:
You obviously, as a former science teacher, and as someone who works not only with kids, but all ages in terms of education, workforce development, training, skills in this field, I guess you know, what gets them excited and what they respond to. So, when they come into your facility at NY Creates, or when you see them interact with a hands-on display at miSci. What is it that really gets them excited or jazzed about science and about technology? What are you learning that that's what we have to capture, that's what we have to do? What inspires them to want to learn more?
CAPRI O’HARA:
I think that's going to be so diverse, so different for each student. For example, today we had a group of students from Capital Region BOCES come visit. And these are career and technical education students that are very interested in in visiting NY Creates to learn about the different workforce development opportunities or higher education opportunities that may be available in semiconductors, but again, learning the student profile, learning a little bit about the student will help drive that spark and that interest. In speaking with the students, I learned we had a small group from cosmetology and they were very interested in the chemical processes that occur in nanotechnology and semiconductors. For example, we spoke quite in depth about ultrapure water and the process of ultrapure water and these cosmetology young women, I mean, really lit up when they said, “Oh, I understand, you know, why that's so important.” We don't want unwanted minerals deposited on a semiconductor wafer, just like we wouldn't want sulfates or unwanted deposits on someone's hair. It can turn your blonde hair orange and brassy or turn, you know, the color that we've worked so hard to achieve through chemical process and ruin… you know, have your hair become brittle. So, making that correlation, getting to know the student and what their interests are, and then helping them explore, you know, how could they make an impact on engineering, science, technology? How can they really delve more into their interests and make it relevant to them. I think that is what drives the intrinsic motivation in learning and in students, also the freedom to fail, right. You know, engineering, you're going to make 100 different models, and finally, the 101 may be the success. So really giving these students the freedom to feel supported and to feel that they're able to keep trying, because you never know when the next the next build or the next project could be your big breakthrough or your big success.
MARY HUNT:
One really great resource, I think, for this project that you mentioned, is going to be the downtown campus, the new College of Nanotechnology, Science and Engineering. We've taken the college from the uptown campus and moved it onto our downtown campus into a newly renovated building, the former Albany High School, and it's beautiful. It has a terrific makerspace, so I guess we see that as a real resource for this project. Talk about a little bit about what resources might be in that building that might be of interest and use in this project to the partners.
CAPRI O’HARA:
Yes, the downtown makerspace is absolutely beautiful, and if you haven't gone to visit, I encourage everyone to go visit. The makerspace is a large area with many tables enabling students to collaborate, a plethora of equipment that the students will all have access to. Many of our builds that have specific equipment we have already ordered. And we have already ordered a lot of the consumables, the materials for the students to be using, so there will be no cost whatsoever to the students. The makerspace is going to really encourage innovation and collaboration. It has some of the newest and most advanced equipment, and we will also have access to a large computer lab there also for students to be able to do some research, access the Next Engineers Google Classroom that the instructors would like to create to give them really a personal forum that they're able to ask questions and share ideas even in the weeks in between our once-a-month Saturday sessions
MARY HUNT:
And Capri, I imagine that even after the students complete the program, they will be formulating or forming, I should say, relationships with mentors, maybe future employers, future professors. So, this doesn't just stop once their time commitment ends, does it? I mean, this is sort of building, not just skills, but also building relationships that may last a lifetime or may enrich their careers.
CAPRI O’HARA:
Absolutely. You know, it is all about, especially in education, I feel, you know that importance of relationships, having adults, and in this case, you know graduate students, they really can trust and bounce ideas off of and go to if they do create, you know, that rapport that's so important hopefully. You know, SUNY just announced a large internship program. These students come back for summer internships and part-time job experiences. Hopefully they are, you know, able to pursue their specific type of engineering, especially with this $16,000 sponsorship and scholarship from GE Aerospace Foundation, and they still keep in touch and let us know how they're doing and what they're studying and come back for these internship opportunities, for example, or summer programs to study here at the University at Albany.
[Music fades in.]
MARY HUNT:
Oh Capri, thanks for being my guest. I'm looking forward to working with you on the GE Next Gen Engineers New York Capital Region project and also hearing more from you and Brad when he comes back and joins us on the podcast about how the program is going.
CAPRI O’HARA:
Absolutely, I can't wait to get Brad on here. Let's put him on the spot also.
MARY HUNT:
Will do. I promise.
CAPRI O’HARA:
Thank you. Thank you so much for having me, Mary.
ANNOUNCER/MARY HUNT:
Capri O'Hara is a recognized leader in workforce development, educational initiatives, apprenticeship programming and engineering career pathways, bringing deep expertise to the fast-moving world of semiconductor education and training. Capri serves as the director of Workforce Development at NY Creates and as director of GE Next Engineers Capital Region New York in partnership with the University at Albany, where she plays a central role in building a strong future-ready engineering talent pipeline.
On October 7, 2025, the GE aerospace Foundation, with GE Aerospace New York, the University at Albany, NY Creates and miSci launched Next Engineers New York Capital Region. Together, the partners will be investing in the young people of the upstate New York area, providing students ages 13 to 18 with hands-on learning experiences, career exposure and college preparation to encourage them to pursue engineering careers. With more than 26,000 students reached globally to date, the program aims to grow the pipeline of young talent entering the engineering field. For more information on Next Engineers New York Capital Region, visit the resource page for this podcast at the dash engagement dash ring dot simplecast dot com.
The Engagement Ring is produced by the University at Albany's Office for Public Engagement. If you have questions or comments or want to share an idea for an upcoming podcast, email us at UAlbany O P E at Albany dot E D U.
[Music fades out.]