Day one of 2024 NYCETC workforce agenda conference addresses policy pathways for career development

Venezuelan restauranteur and mother Eskarli immigrated to New York City when she was forced out of her community by gang threats on her successful business. 

After arriving in the city, she received work authorization through Temporary Protected Status and discovered the Hot Bread Kitchen, an organization that creates economic opportunity for marginalized groups through job skills training and entrepreneurship programs in the food industry. 

Eskarli graduated from Hot Bread’s Culinary Career Pathways for New Yorkers program this summer, which teaches Spanish-speaking migrants basic food safety and kitchen techniques. Within a week, she was hired at high-end restaurant Casa Cipriani and promoted just a few days later, earning a salary raise.

This story, shared in the opening remarks of the first day of the New York City Employment and Training Coalition Conference, is just one example of how workforce development – programs that train and prepare people to join the workforce – can change the careers and lives of New Yorkers. 

“We as workforce development providers and practitioners have a real responsibility to continue to find ways to be part of a solution in helping solve the workforce challenges many of the people we serve face because, when we do, their lives are really forever changed,” Hot Bread Kitchen CEO Leslie Abbey said.

Day one of the NYCETC Conference, the Workforce Agenda on Policy, was held on Tuesday at the Museum of Jewish Heritage, sponsored by Hot Bread Kitchen and Citizens Bank and hosted by City & State. 

“At Citizens, we believe that a strong workforce is the foundation of a thriving economy,” Citizens Senior Vice President and Market Executive Nuno Francisco said at the conference. “It is why we’ve made it our mission to support programs and initiatives that empower individuals, equip businesses and create opportunities for everyone to succeed. As we face new economic and technological shifts, preparing the workforce for the future is not just a priority, it’s an imperative.”

It was a full day of panels and discussions about how New York’s government, nonprofits and businesses can improve workforce development for New Yorkers.

“Today is about thinking about how it is that we elevate and advance,” NYCETC CEO Gregory Morris said. “We’re not going to start solely from the perspective of frustration or challenge. We’re going to start from the perspective of possibility because in this room, everything that’s possible, everything that’s going to make us who we are, is right here.”

City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams gave the keynote address, saying that key efforts include building a pipeline from CUNY and vocational schools to jobs, including in the municipal sector. Example programs include CUNY Reconnect, which helps enroll people who didn’t complete college  at CUNY to complete their degrees, and the Renaissance Technical Institute, which provides free vocational training.

“Unlocking access to opportunities for New Yorkers has always been a top priority for the Council,” she said. “When we help people reach their full potential and connect them to good jobs, we are not only strengthening our workforce, but also the local economy and our communities.”

CUNY and New York City Schools Chancellors Félix Matos Rodríguez and Melissa Aviles Ramos, respectively, spoke at a “Young Adult Career Success” session, touching on ways to start workforce development earlier in life, such as through the Summer Youth Employment Program for teenagers, FutureReadyNYC to connect public school students with different career pathways and more.

“We often talk about an ‘either-or’ situation, and we say if you do these jobs, you can’t necessarily go to college, or if you go to college, you shouldn't necessarily have one of these more technical jobs,” Aviles Ramos said. “We want to be really cautious when we talk to our young people about ‘either-or.’ We want to tell them, ‘Let’s find the best path that serves your needs, that helps you build your economic stability, that helps you build generational wealth, but that doesn’t shut the doors at college.’”

Another session featured State Sen. Jessica Ramos of Queens, who discussed some of her labor work, including the Early Learning Child Care Act, the Warehouse Worker Protection Act and her Senate Bill S7693, which would establish a Workforce Readiness Week in all high schools.

Day two of the NYCETC Conference, the Workforce Agenda on Practice, will be held on Wednesday at Civic Hall. The full agenda can be found here.