Mayor Eric Adams was at Bronx Community College on Monday, Aug. 15, for the announcement of the launch of the “Pathways to Industrial and Construction Careers” (PINCC) program, which aims to place nearly 2,300 low-income New Yorkers on a trajectory to careers in what was described as two, high-growth sectors of the City’s economy, industry and construction, over the next three years.

 

Formalized via the mayor’s executive order 22, the program will be funded by an $18.6 million federal grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration, awarded to New York City in response to its winning proposal to the federal “Good Jobs Challenge” initiative created under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.

 

Targeted at cash assistance recipients and public housing residents, city officials said PINCC creates training pathways and wraparound support up to and beyond job placement, offering what officials said were “life-changing opportunities.”

 

“All New Yorkers deserve to earn a living wage and share in our City’s prosperity, and that’s why I’m proud to announce the Pathways to Industrial and Construction Careers,” said Adams. “With the support of an $18.6 million federal grant, we are taking major steps towards making sure that thousands of New Yorkers have access to jobs that they can support a family with, while giving our city’s employers access to the talent they need to thrive.”

 

City officials said the mayor’s executive order will:

• create a citywide, cross-agency plan on talent and workforce development, which will be prepared and presented to the mayor annually;
• develop a talent portal dashboard to show progress citywide;
• consolidate the Mayor’s Office of Youth Employment and the implementation of the Project Labor Agreements/Community Hiring into the Office of Talent and Workforce Development;
• empower the Office of Talent and Workforce Development to manage and make recommendations for the appointments to the Workforce Development Board; and
• move four of the city’s current industry partnerships in healthcare, technology, construction, and manufacturing, which currently report to Small Business Services, to the Office of Talent and Workforce Development to help develop and advance the citywide strategy.

 

The mayor said the PINCC initiative was a major shift from the previous way jobseekers and employers were served, adding that a similar approach is planned “to streamline the efforts of nearly two dozen city agencies and offices” that administer similar talent and workforce development  programs, under the new Mayor’s Office of Talent and Workforce Development. According to city officials, the aim is to design a coherent system to better serve jobseekers, students, incumbent workers, employers, and communities.

“Lives will be changed because of this work, and employers will be provided with a strong talent pipeline needed to grow,” Adams said. Meanwhile, deputy mayor for economic and workforce development, Maria Torres-Springer, said in part that talent has always been the City’s most important asset and added that the new strategy empowered City officials and partners to convene behind “one single vision, where all New Yorkers could access good jobs and careers, and where businesses could access the talent they need.”

 

City officials said the goal is to create a city where all young people launch successfully into fulfilling careers, all New Yorkers benefit from a living wage and contribute to the City’s shared prosperity, employers tap local talent, and public and private resources are fully aligned. They said the new approach will integrate what were described as the City’s historically siloed education institutions, including the NYC Department of Education (DOE) and The City University of New York (CUNY), into the workforce development process.

 

DOE chancellor, David Banks said in part, “Growing professionally should not be isolated to specific times in your life, and the partnership between our K-12 public schools, higher education, and employers is absolutely critical to seeing our young people thrive economically.” He added, “What our children can achieve is unlimited if we help activate their passions throughout their life.”

 

Through all three phases of employment: recruitment and training, job placement, retention, and advancement, City officials anticipate training, through PINCC, nearly 2,300 New Yorkers, placing them in high-wage and/or unionized jobs, with benefits, in roles like diesel mechanics, general utility workers, tradespeople, or construction project managers.

 

The City of New York (CUNY) chancellor, Félix V. Matos Rodríguez, said in part by creating new pathways to quality jobs for low-income New Yorkers, PINCC will help ensure that New York’s post-pandemic recovery reaches those communities too often left behind. “CUNY is proud to play a leading role in equipping New Yorkers with the skills and preparation employers want and New York City needs,” he said.

 

The new Future of Workers Task Force will “consider and inform every aspect of the city’s strategy for empowering New Yorkers to secure and succeed in family-sustaining careers,” officials said. Abby Jo Sigal, executive director of the new Mayor’s Office of Talent and Workforce Development, said in part that the city’s economic recovery and future prosperity depended on the diverse talents of all New Yorkers connecting to and helping to create opportunity.

 

PINCC participants will be targeted for specific interest in construction and industrial careers, matched with training appropriate for their skills and ambitions, placed and provided with ongoing support through what city officials said was an extensive set of employer relationships. Key partners include the Mayor’s Office of Talent and Workforce Development and the nonprofit, Consortium for Worker Education. Both will engage with employers, while the NYC Human Resources Administration will be responsible for recruiting participants.

 

District 14 City Council Member Pierina Sanchez, who represents the University Heights section of The Bronx, where BCC is located, was also supportive of the new initiative. “This investment in the future of New Yorkers will create over 2,000 new careers in high wage or unionized jobs,” she said, in part. “We look forward to working with our agency and organizational partners in the recruitment of program participants.”

 

For his part, Gary LaBarbera, president of the Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York, said in part that the new initiative will play a crucial role in creating a pathway for tradesmen and tradeswomen to pursue middle class careers with benefits through union membership and apprenticeship programs. “We look forward to supporting this initiative and the development of a world-class workforce that will be at the forefront of rebuilding New York into a global leader in development and modern infrastructure,” he said.

Mohammed Fuad, a BCC graduate in computer information systems, originally from Bangladesh, and former intern at EY auditing firm, addressed those present during the launch event about his experience at the college and also his career path, adding that it was his first time to speak in public in front of such a group of people.

 

“Me and my parents immigrated to this country in a search for a better life, especially for the education system, such as tuition-free colleges, improved education programs and employment opportunities with benefits,” the former student said. “When I took the admission to BCC, I felt welcomed as [an] immigrant student and the experience and the system were extraordinary, the atmosphere, again, always welcoming, always peaceful.”

 

Fuad said the college counselor and professors routinely inquired about his well-being. “During my final semester, BCC introduced me to the EY [Ernst & Young] apprenticeship program. This program has allowed me to earn additional college credit while I get paid, and gain experience on technology,” he said. “This is, I would say, another matter that the City has solved: choosing between a full-time job or a full-time internship or apprenticeship program that cut offs the earnings.”

 

He said being able to earn while he studied changed everything. “I was getting paid, and I was getting extra credit in my academic record for it, and I was getting experience in the major that I loved,” Fuad said. “This program has taught me how to communicate, to build connections with the co-workers. I gained knowledge of technology, risk management, strategy planning and decision-making.”

 

The young graduate said learning was essential, but putting that learning into practice was also important, because that was how people learned more about how to solve issues. “I was underestimating my abilities of learning, but by working in an environment changes everything,” he said.

 

“I kept on moving. I never gave up. The [work] environment has helped me to think differently to solve any problem at EY,” the graduate continued. “It has also helped me to become more consistent, proactive and motivated at my work. I’m proud to say that after finishing my apprenticeship program, I got a full-time offer at EY in applications system engineering.”

Amid encouraging applause, Fuad said more CUNY students should have access to similar programs. “The mayor is already working on it, which will enhance their skills while they’re in school,” he said. “Once they graduate, they will take advantage of these skills and experience and give to their new jobs. I’m grateful to BCC and EY for providing me the platform which led to my success today.”

 

Fuad went on to thank individuals at BCC and EY for their encouragement and for believing in him. “I have built my confidence level a little upper than before,” he said. “So, this is where.. I am standing here and talking right next to the Mayor of the City. They are the important backbones of the City, I would say, not just as a student and us, but they are the ones who [are] working for our opportunities.”

 

He concluded by thanking all those present as well as the two most important people in his life: his parents, who were also in attendance at the event. “They are standing over there,” he said. “I have friends who have always supported me. I’m working as a full-time in my technology field that I have been studying for, and now I’m in that field, and I’m working on the job that I love. Thank you everyone.”