These NYers have jobs thanks to City Council workforce programs
New York City’s economy goes through regular booms and busts, but for many communities of color, high unemployment rates persist even when the rest of the city is thriving.
For these New Yorkers, the City Council’s workforce development programs have been a helping hand. Jobs to Build On, Worker Service Centers, and Immigration Protection Group have provided job training, career placement, and other services to tens of thousands of workers. These programs are administered by CWE and direct funding to dozens of neighborhood organizations around the city to run training programs for their communities.
Here are some of the New Yorkers who have been helped by these City Council-funded programs.
Tihuan Simpson got a union job with help from BuildingWorkers, a Jobs to Build On partner
Tihuan Simpson knew that minimum wage and unsteady work was not the future he wanted. His dream was to be a union carpenter and get better wages, benefits, and training. Through BuildingWorks, a Jobs to Build On partner, he got the opportunity to become an apprentice and by his 2nd year, was earning over $25 an hour plus benefits and overtime.
Looking back on the training, he says, “This program was life changing for me. I learned how important and valuable team work is and to stay calm and focused while working. I look forward to a 35-year commitment in this career and I will give it 100%.”
Patrick Guity credits SoBro, another partner in the Jobs to Build On program, with helping him develop his work ethic and learn to manage a crisis, in life or on the job. After graduating from SoBro’s customer service and security guard training courses, he started work at a local firm and was soon promoted to supervisor.
Rosa Vasconez was drawn to Make the Road New York’s Community Health Worker training program because it meant she could help other immigrants like herself. She remembers a time when she too had trouble communicating with her children’s doctors.
Make the Road’s program, which is funded by Worker Service Centers, taught her how to guide patients through difficult medical situations. She became a community health worker at Woodhull Medical Center, educating Spanish-speaking patients and their families about how to manage asthma. “I want my daughters to see me as an example that there are no limitations,” she says.
Dupreme Murphy was able to get a stable job after training from Jobs to Build On partner Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation
Dupreme Murphy had been unemployed for more than six months when he signed up for Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation’s security guard training. Three days later, he was placed into a job at Summit Security, providing security services around the city.
He says that the BSRC program was set up to help people like him, people most in need of help. “Restoration Corporation didn’t only help me get a job. They helped me with life, period.”
Kenia Leiba wanted a job that was similar to the nursing career she had in Puerto Rico. She found it with help from The Community League of the Heights (CLOTH) – another Jobs to Build On partner.
She completed CLOTH’s workforce basic skills and job training course and is now certified by the Department of Health as a home health aide. She was offered a job and is now employed full-time. Leiba has since enrolled in CLOTH’s ESL course. “This is just the beginning,” she says, “I plan on continuing to study and excel.”
Lashawn Edwards got a job – and renewed control of her life – thanks to help from STRIVE
Lashawn Edwards came to STRIVE looking for help getting a job, but came away with a new confidence in herself that empowered her beyond the workplace. Edwards grew up with an abusive parent and later experienced domestic violence in her marriage. When she found STRIVE, she was living in transitional housing. She wanted to work so she could move into an apartment with her three young sons and take control of her life.
After completing the STRIVE program, she climbed the career ladder before becoming a program coordinator at the New York City Department of Investigation. She schedules trainings for peace officers and tracks expiring licenses. With her new career and renewed self-esteem, Edwards has moved out of transitional housing and is looking forward to the future.
With the help of Brooklyn Workforce Innovations, Jimmy Gutierrez overcame obstacles to get a union job in the film industry
Jimmy Gutierrez always had a passion for entertainment, but he was stuck in dead end jobs that were not paying the bills or fulfilling his dreams. Gutierrez also had several barriers to employment. He was orphaned at age 13, had not finished college, and was homeless. “I just had no direction,” he says.
He enrolled in Brooklyn Workforce Innovations' “Made in NY” Production Assistant Training Program, funded by Jobs to Build On. The program trains New Yorkers for entry level jobs in the film and television industry. Gutierrez became a grip and a member of IATSE Local 52, earning $35 per hour. The job allowed him to accomplish several personal goals, including getting an apartment and saving for his daughter’s Sweet Sixteen, and he is looking forward to what the future will bring. “I had a really tough life. Now I’m learning to enjoy it.”