New York state has made $5.4 million available
to help businesses grow by training and
hiring formerly unemployed individuals.
The funding is available to businesses in
amounts of up to $100,000 to support a variety
of essential worker training programs, officials
said.
“Access to a well-trained workforce is critical
for the private sector to grow and create
jobs,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. “With this
funding, we’re encouraging businesses in some
of the most economically distressed parts of
the State to invest in their workforce and help
formerly unemployed New Yorkers get back to
work. This is another way that we’re working to
increase employment and bring new opportunities
to communities across New York state.”
State officials said the $5.4 million is available
to businesses looking to expand their
workforce and can be used for on-the-job, apprenticeship
or customized training, depending
on the individual needs of the employer. The
governor’s Unemployment Strikeforce has staff
who will work with all interested parties to
develop programs best suited to their business
and secure all funding and other incentives for
which that business is eligible.
As part of his Opportunity Agenda address
last month, Cuomo announced that the Unemployment
Strikeforce will be expanded
into the 10 areas in the state with the highest
unemployment rates. The expanded strikeforce
will bring the same kind of targeted job recruitment,
career and business services used in the
Bronx to Jefferson, Lewis, Kings, St. Lawrence,
Oswego, Orleans, Montgomery, Franklin and
Steuben counties, he said.
The strikeforce was piloted in the Bronx in
May 2014 and charged with two goals:
1. Find a way to reduce the unemployment
rates in the counties with the persistently
highest levels (12-month average) of unemployment.
2. Ensure that we are investing our workforce
development funding wisely. A real job
must be waiting at the end of the training the
state is investing in.
According to the governor’s office, since
then, more than 7,000 people from the Bronx
have been placed in jobs through the initiative.
An additional 1,300 individuals were connected
to work in Jefferson and Lewis counties under
the strikeforce.
“The state Department of Labor is committed
to Gov. Cuomo’s goal of lowering unemployment
through a comprehensive, business-need
driven, regional approach and the smart allocation
of our resources,” said Acting Labor Commissioner
Mario J. Musolino. “We can target
unemployment where it’s at its worst and help
re-build communities. That’s what we’ve done
in the Bronx and that’s what we’ll continue to
do throughout the state.”
For more information and to learn how you
can apply for funding, visit www.labor.ny.gov/strikeforce.