NEW YORK: New York City Mayor Eric Adams today announced, “Pathways to an Inclusive Economy: An Action Plan for Young Adult Career Success” — a more than $600 million, forward-thinking roadmap to build inclusive pathways for the city’s young people to discover their passion, receive hands-on career experience, and, ultimately, enter the workforce.
Through comprehensive, collaborative partnerships across the city, state, and federal governments, and multiple other sectors, the action plan will develop the city’s future workforce, serving up to 250,000 young people. The action plan and its investments deliver on key commitments made in Mayor Adams’ “Working People’s Agenda” and Executive Order 22 to provide young New Yorkers with fulfilling careers and financial security, while helping private employers find the best talent. Today’s announcement marks another stop on Mayor Adams’ “Working People’s Tour,” as the city enters a new chapter of its economic recovery after regaining all of the private sector jobs it lost during the pandemic, more than a year ahead of schedule.
“Our ‘Working People’s Tour’ is focused on making sure our economy works for all New Yorkers — especially our young people — and helps them find the network, resources, and opportunities needed to thrive in an ever-changing world,” said Mayor Adams. “New York City’s tomorrow depends on what we do for our young people today. That’s why this plan brings together all levels of government, multiple city agencies, employers, and partners across various sectors to tell our young people: we are here to help you succeed. From out-of-school and out-of-work youth to high school students who simply want to follow their dreams and everyone in between, this plan is for them — to let them know that New York City is still the place where anything is possible.”
“The future of New York City’s workforce is brighter because of the investments made today in our young people” said First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright. “Our administration is determined to meet young people wherever they are along their journey to discovering their passion — whether that is through apprenticeships, career-connected learning, or engaging those who are out of school and out of work. The historic commitment in career pathways for both young people and employer partnerships will shape our workforce for generations to come, ensuring all have a pathway to thrive in our city.”
“Our city’s future rests on the work we do today to prepare our young people to enter, contribute, and, ultimately, thrive in an ever-changing economy. I’m proud to say that New York City’s future is brighter than ever,” said Deputy Mayor for Strategic Initiatives Ana Almanzar. “Today’s announcement results from a multi-agency, intragovernmental, public-private, and cross-agency approach with one singular goal in mind: providing every resource possible to help our young people turn their career aspirations into a reality. Right now, the building blocks of New York City’s future workforce are being shaped and formed in our CUNY system, in public schools, and through New York City Department of Youth and Community Development programs. Under Mayor Adams’ administration, we are making sure that as those young people discover their passion and decide their future, they know that the sky is only the limit.”
“Early in the administration, Mayor Eric Adams issued Executive Order 22, which plainly laid out the administration’s ambitions for an effective workforce system: one in which the city aligns its education, career preparation, and skills training programs across government and leverages the city’s many resources to position New Yorkers for success,” said Deputy Mayor for Housing, Economic Development, and Workforce Maria Torres-Springer. “The action plan is the roadmap for bringing that ambition to fruition and delivering on this administration’s promises to connect a very special constituency — our youth — to opportunities to access, secure, and thrive in family-sustaining careers. This is what follow through looks like.”
“It is paramount that we give our young people the bright starts that will lead them to bold futures,” said New York City Department of Education (DOE) Chancellor David C. Banks. “The tremendous talent in our city deserves a pathway to success that cultivates that talent. It is an honor to support Mayor Adams in this endeavor to ensure that there is support for our young people as they align passion and purpose to become the next generation of leaders.”
“The City University of New York is an engine of social and economic mobility that prepares students for successful careers, but they also need work experience, mentors and connections to employers who are eager to hire them,” said City University of New York (CUNY) Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez. “CUNY 2x Tech is a best-in-class model that has propelled many of our tech students to the careers of their dreams. We’re thrilled that Mayor Adams is expanding this keystone initiative and look forward to working with New York City business leaders and other essential partners to advance the additional big ideas that this action plan puts forward. Together, we can make sure young people have the opportunities they need to lift themselves and our city.”
The core goals in the action plan represent a holistic approach to building sustainable, equitable pathways for New York City’s youth to enter the economy and workforce. These five core goals include improving data collections and analytics, re-engaging with out of school and out of work youth, expanding career-connected learning, strengthening early interventions to engage young people as they start their career pathway, and developing strategies to better partner with employers.
Highlights of the plan include:
A $10 million city investment to expand CUNY 2x Tech to five new campuses and marks the first time the program will serve CUNY’s community colleges. Over the next five years, Baruch College, Borough of Manhattan Community College, City Tech, Guttman Community College, and LaGuardia Community College will receive funding to continue to develop a high-quality tech talent pipeline by expanding the capacity of CUNY’s Computer Science Department and other departments.
$130 million in federal funding from the U.S. Department of Labor Jobs (USDOL) Jobs Corps Program, the nation’s largest job training and education program. New York City is the first major city to partner with the USDOL Jobs Corps Program, which offers training in fast-growing industries — all free of charge to participants. The USDOL has selected DB Grant Associates to provide academic and career technical training and Career Systems Development Corporation to provide essential wrap around services at their South Bronx and Brooklyn campuses. Over the next five years, the city will support the Jobs Corps program to train, place, and provide wraparound services to 2,000 young adults into careers.
$1.7 million from USDOL’s Building Pathways to Infrastructure Jobs Grant for New York City Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) and the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) to pilot a new electrical pre-apprenticeship for 50 out-of-school and out-of-work young adults, partnering with Commonpoint Queens, LaGuardia Community College, Queensborough Community College, and the Consortium for Worker Education.
