CNSE has been assisting community colleges with the development of a new associate's degree in nanotechnology that is articulated with programs at the secondary school level (2 PLUS 2) and with 4-year colleges and universities.

One example is the creation of the Hudson Valley Community College (HVCC)'s Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology program. The SMT program, developed in partnership with CNSE, prepares students for careers in the semiconductor manufacturing industry. The training provided is field oriented and generally covers the principles and practices that apply to industry applications of electricity and semiconductor manufacturing. Upon graduation, students will be prepared to work in capacity field service, test, and manufacturing, or may transfer to a baccalaureate program.

Another example is the Equipment Support Technician Program at Dutchess County Community College. CNSE partners with DCCC to bring AAS students into CNSE's Albany NanoTech laboratories to provide the practical, hands-on portion of DCCC's Equipment Support Technician Program. DCCC students participate in monthly lab programs providing access to semiconductor processing and metrology tools.

In December 2006, CNSE and HVCC joined with Einhorn Yaffee Prescott ("EYP") Architecture & Engineering PC of Albany to develop The Global Education and Training for Nanotechnology ("GetNANO") program. The GetNANO initiative is designed to ensure the development of the highly skilled workforce necessary for the design and efficient operation of state-of-the-art nanoelectronics research, development and manufacturing facilities. The first topic for discussion will be the creation of a collaborative program that would train architects and engineers to design high-tech buildings and facilities with sustainability and zero energy, focusing on areas such as building information modeling, energy simulation, and system monitoring and control.