NYC gets to work!

Glenn T. is a graduate of HOPE, one of dozens of community organizations providing job training and career placements with support from the City Council and CWE

At moments of economic uncertainty -- from 9/11 to the Great Recession -- our city has looked to the Consortium for Worker Education to support workers. CWE has built programs in partnership with city agencies and the City Council to train our workers for in-demand jobs and place them with employers. With new economic and budgetary headwinds on the horizon, now is the moment to reinvest in these programs. 

The City Council collaborated with CWE to create the Jobs to Build On (JtBO) and Worker Service Center (WSC) programs. These initiatives create training centers around the city to serve workers in the neighborhood institutions and union halls they know and trust. WSC specializes in classes that give workers the building blocks to succeed in today’s economy -- like job readiness, English, and computer skills. JtBO provides technical training in expanding industries and places workers directly into real jobs with growth opportunities. 

The City Council’s steadfast support of these programs has allowed CWE to serve tens of thousands of city workers each year.

This funding puts New Yorkers to work across the city. Workers are starting their careers as home care aides with Cooperative Home Care Associates in the Bronx. ACE is training homeless residents in Queens to secure stable careers that make housing security a reality.  At Brooklyn Workforce Innovations, New Yorkers are getting their CDL license and are being placed into jobs transporting our children as unionized school bus drivers. In Staten Island, Make the Road NY is providing English classes to open the door to educational and career opportunities and allowing workers to fully participate in city life. At the District Council of Carpenters headquarters in Manhattan, workers are learning the basics of the building trades and have direct entry to union apprenticeships.

These are just a handful of the dozens of organizations and hundreds of classes that are funded by the City Council and CWE.

Phipps Neighborhoods places Bronx residents into rewarding careers, thanks to funding from the City Council and CWE

One of the workers who has been able to count on this City Council funding is Glenn T., a graduate of CWE-partner HOPE. Glenn says the program helped him feel like he has a purpose in his job. The father of five and grandfather of eleven is now working in the construction industry after spending 30 years in prison.

“If I had not gone through HOPE, I would not be in the position to do what I am doing right now, taking care of my children,” says Glenn. “I speak to my grandkids about my background. If I have anything to do with it, they will never touch a penitentiary in their life.”

Jasmin Thomas got a start in a new field through support from Black Veterans for Social Justice (BVSJ) and Jobs to Build On. She was placed into a job as a case manager at a homeless shelter and, in less than a year, was promoted to shelter operations manager, helping the community, veterans, and their families apply for emergency rental assistance.  

“Even when I didn’t believe in myself, BVSJ-JtBO encouraged and pushed me to work to my fullest potential,” says Jasmin.

CWE and the City Council are training workers across the five boroughs to start careers and support their families, now and into the future. We urge the City Council to continue to support New York workers and these essential programs.