CWE Adapts to a Changing Workforce
CWE’s Jobs to Build On program (JtBO) and Worker Service Center Program (WSC) were created by the City Council as its own workforce development initiatives to support New Yorkers facing unemployment and underemployment.
The COVID-19 pandemic devastated the New York City economy, driving massive job losses in industries that had long been a source of good jobs for local workers.
On March 7, the City Council’s Committee on Small Business, chaired by Council Member Julie Menin, held an oversight hearing on how the New York City Department of Small Business Services (SBS) has responded to the crisis to support New York businesses and workers. CWE provided written testimony to the committee on the work of the CWE network of labor unions and community organizations that are helping workers recover from the COVID recession.
“As a former small business owner myself, I personally understand the complexities of establishing programs to help small businesses survive a crisis and I appreciate the work of SBS to help businesses through the COVID-19 emergency,” Committee Chair Menin said to open the hearing. “Our oversight hearing today will be both retrospective and forward looking as we review the past programs that SBS established to help businesses survive the economic devastation caused by the pandemic and also gain a better understanding of what the new administration will be doing this session to help small businesses recover and thrive.”
CWE’s Jobs to Build On program (JtBO) and Worker Service Center Program (WSC) were created by the City Council as its own workforce development initiatives to support New Yorkers facing unemployment and underemployment. Job losses spurred by the pandemic have only made these programs more essential to New York workers.
As the COVID pandemic arrived in New York, CWE partners like Riis Settlement transitioned their classes to online learning
“Over the course of its history CWE has served tens of thousands of New Yorkers by providing workforce training and job placement services,” CWE’s testimony to the committee reads. “We do so by partnering with over 40 labor and community organizations. In 2020, CWE and our partners had to pivot, not only to provide continuity of services, but to meet the needs of a changing workforce and job market amidst a global pandemic.”
Classes at dozens of community organizations and unions rapidly transitioned from classroom to online instruction, allowing workers to continue building skills so they could maintain licenses to stay in their chosen careers or enter new professions.
“SEIU 1199 was able to maintain all of its ABE, ESL, HSE courses through online instruction, providing classes for over 1800 adult learners,” CWE testified. “In addition, it initiated new online training in environmental services, to train non-clinical healthcare workers on infection control; online training for Nurse Assistants leading to in-demand jobs in nursing homes; and Central Sterile Supply processing.”
Today, some classes remain online while others are in-person or a hybrid of the two. CWE’s survey of its partners found that in-person instruction produced higher quality classes and improved student retention. However, the ongoing pandemic, with instructors periodically testing positive for COVID, has disrupted classroom learning. The continuation of some online classes has also opened specialized training programs to students for whom commuting was previously a barrier.
CWE programs often provide job readiness training and wraparound services to ensure workers have the support they need to succeed in classes and careers. The pandemic has made those services even more important.
“This has largely come in the form of food assistance, direct cash benefits, and enhanced mental health counseling services. These wraparound services have been able to effectively supplement our training programs, in order to provide participants with the stability they need to be put on a path towards long term employment,” CWE testified to the committee.
CWE also testified that it is increasing the number of ESL classes to support immigrant communities hardest hit by the pandemic and expanding access to training in in-demand fields like data analytics and healthcare.
To support New York workers as they begin to emerge from the pandemic and train for the jobs of the future, workforce development programs will need to adapt to the new normal. CWE and its partner unions and community organizations are already working to help New Yorkers get ready for their post-pandemic careers.
Read CWE’s full testimony to the New York City Council’s Committee on Small Business Oversight Hearing on SBS's Response to COVID-19 here.