City Council Members Talk Workforce Development

CWE partners and incoming council members meet to discuss workforce development in their boroughs

“Over 400,000 workers are not going back to their old jobs next year. What is our obligation to those New Yorkers?”

That was CWE Executive Director Joe McDermott’s question to incoming City Council members from Queens at a meeting held with CWE and its community-based partners. CWE is holding similar meetings with other boroughs’ City Council delegations before the end of the year.

Nearly two years into the coronavirus pandemic, New York still suffers some of the highest unemployment rates in the nation, with hundreds of thousands of city residents still out of work. The number impacted is much higher, with many having only returned to work part-time.

Incumbent council members have worked with CWE for years to address unemployment and underemployment in New York City communities.

“Consortium for Worker Education is a vital organization that provides services to address a vast array of citywide needs,” said Council Member Adrienne E. Adams, who has represented District 28 in Queens since 2017. “If organizations or individuals have concerns about job training, healthcare, communications and media, computer skills, culinary arts, direct job placement, or other issues, CWE is a great first place to make an inquiry. Their connections and resources are a great help for our communities.”

Industries that formed the employment core for New York City before the pandemic, like hospitality and tourism, have been among the hardest hit by the pandemic. The incoming City Council, which is increasingly diverse and representative of New York’s varied neighborhoods, has an opportunity to tackle the monumental challenge of a COVID recovery for all workers.

“We need a just recovery that centers the most impacted and uplifts the resilience of our people,” said incoming Council Member Pierina Sanchez, who was elected to represent District 14 in the Bronx. “The Consortium for Worker Education provides opportunities for our community members to receive the training and education needed to jumpstart and transform their careers across many fields, including healthcare, construction, transportation, civil service, education and childcare, retail and tourism.”“Over 400,000 workers are not going back to their old jobs next year. What is our obligation to those New Yorkers?”

That was CWE Executive Director Joe McDermott’s question to incoming City Council members from Queens at a meeting held with CWE and its community-based partners. CWE is holding similar meetings with other boroughs’ City Council delegations before the end of the year.

Nearly two years into the coronavirus pandemic, New York still suffers some of the highest unemployment rates in the nation, with hundreds of thousands of city residents still out of work. The number impacted is much higher, with many having only returned to work part-time.

Incumbent council members have worked with CWE for years to address unemployment and underemployment in New York City communities.

“Consortium for Worker Education is a vital organization that provides services to address a vast array of citywide needs,” said Council Member Adrienne E. Adams, who has represented District 28 in Queens since 2017. “If organizations or individuals have concerns about job training, healthcare, communications and media, computer skills, culinary arts, direct job placement, or other issues, CWE is a great first place to make an inquiry. Their connections and resources are a great help for our communities.”

Industries that formed the employment core for New York City before the pandemic, like hospitality and tourism, have been among the hardest hit by the pandemic. The incoming City Council, which is increasingly diverse and representative of New York’s varied neighborhoods, has an opportunity to tackle the monumental challenge of a COVID recovery for all workers.

“We need a just recovery that centers the most impacted and uplifts the resilience of our people,” said incoming Council Member Pierina Sanchez, who was elected to represent District 14 in the Bronx. “The Consortium for Worker Education provides opportunities for our community members to receive the training and education needed to jumpstart and transform their careers across many fields, including healthcare, construction, transportation, civil service, education and childcare, retail and tourism.”

The City Council’s workforce development programs, Jobs to Build On, Worker Service Centers, and Immigrant Protection Group, are administered by CWE. The programs have provided job training to tens of thousands of New Yorkers and placed them into careers. Workers in the programs also receive other support services and protections to help them succeed in their new professions.

CWE and its network of community-based organizations and unions look forward to working with the City Council in the new term to meet the growing job training needs caused by the pandemic’s economic turmoil.

“CWE is a leading workforce development institution in NYC, and is uniquely positioned to bring together providers and other stakeholders to collaborate so we can collectively and effectively serve low-income New Yorkers access training, find jobs, and advance in their careers,” said Jeremy Reiss, Executive Vice President–Partnerships and Innovation at Henry Street Settlement, who participated in CWE’s introductory meeting with Manhattan council members. “Henry Street is proud to partner with CWE to meet these critical goals.”

When the pandemic upended their lives, many New Yorkers turned to the community organizations that make up the CWE network for immediate relief including money, food, and PPE, as well as for support adjusting to the changed economy.

Supporting workers in that transition must include investments in job training and job placement as workers seek employment at new employers and in new industries. Last year, CWE surveyed residents of the Astoria neighborhood of Queens to understand how the pandemic was affecting working-class New Yorkers at the neighborhood level. The survey found that many New York workers were uncertain about their employment future. Only 42 percent of dislocated Astoria workers think that they will be able to return to the same employer post-pandemic, while 20 percent think they will have to change occupations.

Soon after the new class of City Council members take office, they will begin work on the City’s next budget, which is voted on mid-year. Elected officials will have an opportunity to support constituents who are still navigating the impacts of job losses over the last two years, so they can build skills and gain economic security.