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From Launch to Shared Leadership: River Alliance for Youth (RAY) Builds Momentum in NYC Council District 8
Luis Tejada from DREAM stands with Deputy Whip Elsie Encarnación, Makayla Rodriguez, and Angel Medina from DREAM beside a River Alliance for Youth (RAY) sign at the launch event.

The River Alliance for Youth (RAY) connects young adults in New York City Council District 8 to education, employment, and long-term stability through a community-driven partnership across sectors. JobsFirst NYC and local partners launched RAY in April 2026 as part of Community Solutions, its place-based approach to building solutions shaped by local conditions and organizations.

While City Council District 8 is home to a vibrant and diverse population, 5,649 young adults are out of school and out of work and face a fragmented educational and workforce system. The River Alliance for Youth (RAY) was formed to change that narrative by connecting existing programs to a coordinated network that ensures that young adults in these communities have direct, and coordinated access to economic mobility.

From Launch to Action: Grounded in Youth Experience

Young adults grounded RAY’s launch event in their experiences navigating school, work, and opportunity in District 8. DREAM Charter High School graduates Angel Medina and Makayla Rodriguez spoke about the barriers and support they encountered.

Angel shared the frustration of being ready to work but passed over for lacking experience, while Makayla highlighted how trusted counselors, family, and community helped her access opportunities. Their stories reinforced a core RAY truth: talent is everywhere, but relationships, guidance, and consistent support often shape whether opportunity is within reach.

Naming the Conditions in District 8

“We don’t have to wait for the resources. We are the resources,” New York City Council Deputy Whip Elsie Encarnación told the launch gathering.

Her remarks also named a core premise of the partnership: the challenge is not a lack of talent among young people in East Harlem and the South Bronx. It is the way opportunity is structured and distributed, and how difficult it can be to find and sustain a pathway through disconnected systems.

The launch also included Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal, who reinforced the need for sustained investment in education and employment for communities that have experienced underinvestment.

RAY put its collaborative model into practice through a Green Economy Career Prep series and the May 29 Clean Energy Connect Expo at Fordham School of Law. Partners prepared young adults for green careers and brought together more than 90 people at the Expo, testing how they could recruit, prepare, and connect participants with employers across organizations.

RAY’s First Executive Committee

RAY members elected an Executive Committee to lead the partnership. Nominations opened in July, and voting concluded in August, with each MOU-signing Steering Committee organization casting one vote.

Under this new partner-elected governance:

Co-Chairs: Goddard Riverside (Justina Sharrock) and DREAM (Luis Tejada)

Secretary: Goddard Riverside (Keyana Hemphill)

The model uses two-year staggered terms to shift more decision-making to RAY partners. The Executive Committee helps steward the partnership, while the full Steering Committee retains authority over major strategy and funding decisions. To date, the Steering Committee is composed of BronxWorks, DREAM, East Side House, Forward Connect NYC, Goddard Riverside, Strive, Union Settlement, Youth Action Youth Build, Hot Bread Kitchen, New York City Public Schools, and IncludeNYC.JobsFirst NYC continues to provide coordination and infrastructure support.

Measurable Goals

RAY brings together a dozen organizations across education, workforce development, social services, and government. Together, these partners have identified a core set of shared goals.

Together, we will:

Reduce the number of out-of-school, out-of-work young people in District 8 by 1,750 by 2029.

Increase the number of young adults who earn a secondary or postsecondary degree or gain employment in CD 8

Strengthen CD8/NYC workforce ecosystem to better support young adults

Reaching these goals requires more than individual programs. It requires coordination across organizations and a shared understanding of how young people–particularly those with disabilities and other unique needs–move through systems.

Place-Based and Community-Led

This work is rooted in the specific realities of East Harlem and the South Bronx. As JobsFirst NYC President and CEO Marjorie Parker shared at the launch, “Each community has its own conditions, history, and strengths. Solutions have to be shaped by those realities and by the people who live and work there.”

In District 8, that means working across East Harlem and the South Bronx while responding to displacement and uneven access to resources. It also means shifting more ownership of the partnership to local organizations doing the work on the ground.

What Comes Next

RAY is moving into implementation of its three-year plan with its leadership structure in place. Partners are strengthening inclusive programming, employer engagement, and referral systems to make opportunities easier to access and navigate.

This next phase is focused on helping young adults connect more easily to the right programs, move between partner organizations without starting over, and gain greater access to employers and career opportunities. Local partners and young adults across East Harlem and the South Bronx will continue to shape how that work moves forward.
To learn more about RAY, please reach out to Hope Ghazala at hghazala@jobsfirstnyc.org.

A large group of community partners, educators, and leaders stand together in front of a River Alliance for Youth (RAY) slide during the District 8 launch event.
Learning Briefs: The Sector Networks
Insights from Three Years of Implementing Sectoral Employment Solutions for Economic Mobility

The Green Economy Network, Healthcare Sector Network, Tech Sector Network, and JobsFirst NYC have been designing, refining, and implementing citywide sectoral employment partnerships across New York City since 2020. Together, these partnerships have trained more than 8,000 jobseekers, and are changing how New York City connects people to training and employers to talent.

As the networks move into the “integrate” phase of our five-step process, we are releasing a series of Learning Briefs that capture key practice shifts, systemic outcomes, and recommendations for the field to sustain and expand impact.

Read the Learning Briefs

The Abundance Mindset: Building Employer Relationships Across Networks

More Than the Sum of Our Parts: Partnership Brokering in the Sector Networks

No Wrong Door: Building a Connected Ecosystem of Opportunity

The Sector Networks: Building Unified Workforce Pathways

Built on lessons from the Young Adult Sectoral Employment Project, the Sector Networks are partnerships built by JobsFirst NYC and network members that bring together education and workforce development organizations, employers, and government stakeholders across New York City’s growth industries.

A fragmented workforce development ecosystem cannot be solved by any single organization working in a silo. The Sector Networks were built to bridge these gaps, turning competition into collective action. By aligning training pathways, sharing labor market intelligence, and coordinating employer engagement, the networks create a unified infrastructure that expands access to high-quality careers for jobseekers while providing employers with reliable, skilled talent pipelines.

1

Investigate

We listen and we learn first.

2

Imagine

We ideate community-inspired solutions.

3

Incubate

We grow ideas into an outcome-driven action plan.

4

Implement

We launch and continuously refine new ways of working together.

5

Integrate

We evaluate our performance, assess what’s next, and advance what works.

Through JobsFirst NYC’s five-step process, these networks evolved from problem definition into active learning communities, working groups, and executive committees advancing shared visions for the field and individual sector strategies:
- Investigate: Defining systemic workforce fragmentation, mapping local market assets, and identifying critical skill gaps across New York City’s changing economy.
- Imagine: Building cross-sector consensus on the problem statement, setting shared goals, and co-designing systemic interventions.
- Incubate: Developing actionable implementation plans, assembling necessary resources, and securing commitment from core network partners.
- Implement: Facilitating trusted working groups, executive committees, and learning communities to test, refine, and execute sectoral action plans.
- Integrate: Scaling proven strategies and embedding core practice shifts across the ecosystem to achieve lasting systems impact.
Shared Learnings & Practice Shifts

The Learning Briefs detail three core practice shifts generated across the Green Economy Network, Healthcare Sector Network, and Tech Sector Networks:
- Centering an abundance mindset: Anchoring employer outreach in labor market data so workforce trainers shift from competing for employer relationships to building shared talent pipelines that expand employers’ access to qualified candidates across the networks.
- Establishing a “no wrong door” approach: Linking jobseekers to a shared ecosystem of training and services so candidates find the right fit regardless of where they enter.
- Partnering to expand opportunity: Building new cross-sector partnerships to combine expertise, develop new training models, and expand internship and employment opportunities.
Looking Ahead: The Integrate Phase

Moving into the integrate phase means embedding these shared insights into institutional practices and broader field strategies, and advancing policy and funding recommendations to sustain and expand their impact.

To explore the findings and actionable recommendations, read the full series:
Explore the Green Economy Network, Healthcare Sector Network, and Tech Sector Network and our partners at jobsfirstnyc.org

Interested in connecting with the Sector Networks? Reach out to Malia Darby, Manager of Work Solutions, at mdarby@jobsfirstnyc.org
Sector Networks

The Challenge

Across New York City, individuals who are out of school and out of work tend to live in communities with the highest poverty rates. Reduced access to work-based learning opportunities and cutbacks in comprehensive support services are occurring alongside increased demand for workers in various sectors, making it critical to develop a collaborative approach that simultaneously prepares jobseekers and meets labor market demand. By enhancing workforce development capacity, increasing employment opportunities, and influencing policy and investment, these sector networks seek to uplift New Yorkers into good careers.

When JobsFirst NYC launched the Sector Networks in 2020:

16%

of young adults were out of school and out of work

10.3%

of youth were unemployed

31%

of young Black workers were unemployed

26%

of young Latinx workers were unemployed

Approach

The Sector Networks organize and expand effective skills training, strengthen collective mechanisms to partner with employers, customize training to meet targeted hiring demands, and increase employment opportunities for young adults and their communities.

Target sectors include: Green Economy, Technology, and Healthcare.

The Green Economy Network establishes effective practices and aligns current systems to create green jobs and career paths in New York City, prioritizing access and sustainability.

The Healthcare Sector Network customizes skills training with employer collaboration and promotes fair pay and quality healthcare jobs in New York City.

The Tech Sector Network fosters an inclusive tech industry in New York City by facilitating customized training for in-demand roles and connecting employers with skilled tech talent.

Impact

$465K

Funds Raised & Leveraged

280+

Stakeholders Engaged

226+

People Served

50+

Design Sessions Convened

Partner with Us

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The Sector Connector: Your May Work Solutions Update
This is a space dedicated to sharing updates from the Green Economy, Healthcare, and Tech Networks; relaying program openings and recruitment opportunities; and fostering cross-network collaboration.

In April, the Green Economy Network kicked off its first-ever Clean Energy Connect Expo, and welcomed over 150 jobseekers, students, training partners, and employers. Our Healthcare and Tech Networks are building on the momentum gained from the Expo, with continued strategic planning for their upcoming expos and employer roundtable.

Council Member Pierina Sanchez kicking off the day.

The Inaugural Green Eocnomy Network Clean Energy Connect Expo

District 14 Council Member Pierina Sanchez energized the crowd by emphasizing the importance of access to clean energy jobs and environmental justice for all. She also affirmed that partnerships like our Sector Networks need the support of local changemakers dedicated to economic development! After a day full of informative workshops, conversations with clean energy employers, and building connections with our GEN partners, it was clear we are stronger together.

Green Economy Network

Hosted the first Green Economy Expo

Shakira Hart, Senior Director of Community Engagement at Solar One, successfully led the Green Economy Network to their first public career expo.

The day included:
- Home Energy Literacy Workshop hosted by Rachel Fleischer from the Bronx and Brooklyn Clean Energy Hub
- Green Careers Pathways and Credentials Workshop by Angela Son from The Green Launchpad and Antuan Cannon from Willdan
- Student Experiences and Employment Perspectives Panel moderated by Malia Darby from JobsFirstNYC, featuring alumni from The Hope Program and CUNY BPL’s E-CMT Program
- Interactive STEM learning on the BioBus, which parked on campus for participants to get hands on learning
- Therapeutic Horticulture through herbal sachet making, a relaxing activity provided by The Horticultural Society of New York
Big thank yous and kudos to our GEN members and employer partners for making this energy-filled day of learning possible!

Healthcare Sector Network

Recruited participants and employers for Careers in Care

Are you interested in attending our second annual Careers in Care Expo and Career Fair? Register here. The expo will be held today, May 12, from 1-4 pm at Northwell Lenox Hill’s Einhorn Auditorium.

St. Nicks Alliance is recruiting for their May 19 Train & Earn Home Health Aide program. Sign up here to learn more, or join us for a Fridayinfo session at 92 Throop Ave.

Our Referral Task Force is in full swing, already referring 20+ candidates to programs across participating organizations’. Shout out to the task force for making sure every individual who wants training can find a way in!

Tech Sector Network

Planned the May Tech Employer Roundtable

Our Employer Roundtable, led by NPower and Marcy Lab School, will be held at Accenture on May 21, with representatives from Salesforce, Bank of America, Warner Music Group, BitxBit, and Blackstone.

Planning for our Tech Up Opportunity Expo began earlier this April, with Year Up United already recruiting dozens of interested candidates. NPower and Per Scholas will be recruiting partners and offering their training to jobseekers.

Applications for The Knowledge House’s Karim Kharbouch Coding Fellowship are OPEN! Do you know a high school student interested in kick starting their tech career? Apply Here.

For more about Sector Networks, contact Malia Darby, Manager of Work Solutions at JobsFirstNYC via email at mdarby@jobsfirstnyc.org.
The Sector Connector: Your June Work Solutions Update
This is a space dedicated to sharing updates from the Green Economy, GEN, Healthcare, HSN, and Tech Networks, TSN, relaying program openings and recruitment opportunities, and fostering cross-network collaboration.

In May, the HSN hosted its second annual Careers in Care Expo, and welcomed over 100 jobseekers, students, training partners, and employers. Our Tech Sector Network kicked off their Tech Employer Roundtable, while the GEN explored new AI solutions for green workforce professionals.

Stanley M. Isaacs Center students ready to take on the day.

Getting Exposed to Careers in Care

Fresh off the first few weeks of their CNA Train and Earn program, Stanley M. Isaacs Center students made their elevator pitches and provided newly polished resumes to 11 employer partners at Northwell Lenox Hill. HSN Members Devon Bolden and Marckenson Luctama motivated and prepared their cohort to speak confidently about their skills and experiences in the healthcare field.

Green Economy Network

Reflecting on FY25, looking forward to FY26

After a successful first Expo, GEN used both participant and employer feedback and insights to effectively plan for the upcoming fiscal year.

Unified Ground presented “AI Empower,” a toolkit that provides the fundamentals for community-based organizations’ AI usage, AI’s limitations, best practices for safety and security, and addresses challenges around trust, access, and equity.

The Doe Fund is offering HVAC internships! Free of cost to the employer. If you know an employer interested in hosting skilled HVAC professionals let us know!

Healthcare Sector Network

Hosted the second annual Careers in Care Expo

On May 12, the HSN brought together a group of trainers, educators, and employers to showcase their opportunities to partner organizations’ jobseekers.

A few highlights include:
- Northwell’s Brian Aquart started with an inspiring message to young healthcare professionals affirming that “education is health,” emphasizing the power of healthcare careers to uplift individuals, families, and entire communities.
- Recruiters and hiring managers connected with young people, who are both graduates and participants in healthcare training programs.
- HSN Co-Chairs Daniel Agosto and Ayesha George closed out the expo with gratitude for everyone in the room, all of whom made the entire day a great success.
A big thank you to the team at Northwell Health and all of our HSN Partners!

Tech Sector Network

Hosted the Tech Employer Roundtable

On May 21, TSN brought together leaders from top employers, including Accenture, Bank of America, BitxBit, Blackstone, PeopleShores, Salesforce, and Warner Music Group. The session was centered around the feedback received from young adults from tech training programs, aimed at closing the feedback loop from young people to trainers to employers.

Highlights include:
- Rah from Accenture’s incredible energy lit up the room – stating that recruiters should look for hunger for knowledge and grit when evaluating early career talent.
- Molly from Blackstone, highlighted the need for legislative pressure on companies to invest in emerging talent and internal upward mobility.
- Ivan from BitxBit noted that candidates should seek to develop a deep understanding of AI and its functionality in the workplace in order to stand out in the evolving tech landscape.
Thank you to our partners at Accenture and to TSN Members Ana Reyes-Martinez, Nelson Abbott, and Scott Naab for making this roundtable outstanding!

For more about Sector Networks, contact Malia Darby, Manager of Work Solutions at JobsFirstNYC via email at mdarby@jobsfirstnyc.org.
Transfer 2 Career Collaborative

The Challenge

When JobsFirst NYC launched T2C in 2017-2018, there were 53,000 over-age, under-credited high school students attending NYC public schools. Many of these students – approximately 15,000–attended transfer schools–small schools that are not organized by age or grade but instead by credit accumulation to help off-track students graduate with a high school diploma. These schools were not equipped to integrate career readiness into their curricula, provide high-quality work-based learning experiences, or connect graduating students to post-secondary education and training that leads to careers. At the time…

25%

transfer high school graduated enter postsecondary within 6 months

15,000

over-age, under-credited students attended transfer schools in New York City

54%

transfer high school students graduated with a high school diploma by the age of 21

70%

of all jobs would require some post-secondary education or training after high school by 2027

Approach

The small-school design of transfer high schools provides a unique opportunity to enrich student experiences through a sequence of high-quality career development activities that form a core part of their education. The Transfer 2 Career Collaborative capitalizes on this opportunity by offering a multiple-phase student experience that includes a core and enhanced curriculum; high-quality work-based learning experiences across the career development continuum; individualized career development support; and case management and wraparound support services. The approach is designed to help students recover credits, graduate from high school, experience success in postsecondary education and training, and launch careers in growing industry sectors. Importantly, this framework is organized in competency-based phases rather than by age or grade, allowing students to progress through the initiative at their own pace.

Download

Impact

Leveraging the small school design of Transfer High Schools with intensive wrap around support services and internship stipends, JobsFirst NYC and New Visions for Public Schools are building partnerships between 12 Transfer High Schools within the New Visions network and select workforce development and training organizations with a track record of working with out-of-school, out-of-work young adults. These partnerships form the School Design Team made up of School principals, Learning to Work Program Directors and Internship Coordinators, and leaders from workforce development organizations. By operationally integrating these workforce development organizations into the schools, these school-based partnerships will: 1) provide career awareness and exploration services to all student; 2) integrate advanced career development into the school design; and, 3) build bridge programs to sector-specific postsecondary opportunities.

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27

Learning Communities Convened

40

Partners in a Community of Practice

12

Industry-Recognized Certificates Available to Students

3766

Students Engaged in New Career Development Opportunities

Our Partners

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Young Adult Sectoral Employment Project
The Challenge

Young adults in New York City are contending with unprecedented difficulties in the local labor market. The long-term trend of public sector disinvestment in training and employment services, combined with employers increasingly basing their hiring decisions on demonstrable skills and previous work experience, has created an almost impossible situation for young adults without a college education who seek stable, career-track employment at a family-supporting wage. This is particularly the case in New York City, where job growth has concentrated at the extremes of the labor market: high-paying jobs, which require education and skills that young adults often lack; and low-wage, low-skill jobs, for which young adults must compete against older jobseekers who typically have the advantages of relevant work experience and strong references.

118,000

out-of-school and out-of-work young adults were in New York City

61%

of jobs held by young people were part-time

31%

of New York City college students worked while in school, and fewer students were finishing their degrees

70%

of all jobs would require postsecondary education by 2027

Approach

JobsFirst NYC’s Young Adult Sectoral Employment Project supported the development of 11 partnerships between workforce development organizations and employers. Each partnership is focused on a specific sector (such as healthcare, technology, transportation) and carries out employer-driven training for unemployed and underemployed young adults.

These programs offer young adults enough time and preparation to master the competencies necessary for success in the workplace while also integrating sufficient employer input to ensure that participants who complete training programs are ready to contribute from their first day on the job.

Benchmarking for YASEP – JobsFirst NYC is partnering with the Workforce Field Building Hub at the Workforce Professionals Training Institute and a group of JobsFirst NYC’s YASEP member organizations and CareerLift partner, Seedco to baseline, test and strengthen their capacity to engage employers, using the Success Drivers developed through the Workforce Benchmarking Network.

SectorBOOST for YASEP – Change Machine (formerly The Financial Clinic) partnered with a cohort of JobsFirst NYC’s YASEP member agencies to bring financial coaching services to young adult jobseekers and to build the capacity of participating organizations to deliver similar coaching services in the future. You can learn more here at SectorBOOST.

Visit the YASEP Website
Impact

Eleven partnerships have been established under YASEP’s framework, and ten launched industry-based training programs. Each partnership is focused on a specific sector and carries out employer-driven training for unemployed and underemployed young adults.

Ten new partnerships were developed and sustained their partnership structures throughout the duration of the project. These included:

Comprehensive Youth Development and the Borough of Manhattan Community College, CUNY prepare students for careers in healthcare while earning a Certified Medical Assistant credential.

Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation partners with transportation and logistics employers to offer a career pathway into the transportation sector with a robust career ladder, living wages, and union protections.

Green City Force partners with Con Edison, L+M Development Partners, C+C Management, and NYCHA’s REES offer career pathways for young adults into the sustainability sector.

The Knowledge House, partnering on the Bronx Digital Pipeline with Hostos Community College and Per Scholas, is developing pathways into cutting edge technology jobs.

Paraprofessional Healthcare Institute partners with the Cooperative Home Care Associates to train young adults for jobs in the healthcare sector.

Per Scholas and The Door created TechBridge to offer young adults to expand access into the information technology sector.

Phipps Neighborhoods, in partnership with Hostos Community College and Montefiore Medical Center, prepare young people for careers in allied healthcare.

Queens Community House, Jacob Riis Neighborhood Settlement House, Ocean Bay Community Development Corp, and Sunnyside Community Services — together as Queens Connect — prepare young adults for success in the food industry.

Roundabout Theatre Company in partnership with the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) and The Door provide training for access to careers in technical theatre.

Stanley Isaacs Neighborhood Center partners with employers to train young adults for careers in hospitality and food service. Isaacs Center also offers training in community health and education and child development.

$15M

Funds Raised and Invested in New Partnerships

50

Employers Engaged

2335

Young Adults Served by our Partners

11

Partnerships Funded
Our Partners

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YES Bed Stuy
The Challenge

At the time of the YES Bed Stuy’s first convening in 2018, Bedford-Stuyvesant was home to one of New York City’s highest rates of out-of-school, out-of-work young adults. The community was in need of more services aimed specifically at young adults aged 18–24 and innovative solutions to connect young adults to work and education. Community stakeholders highlighted the following challenges in Bedford-Stuyvesant at the time:

29%

of young adults were out-of-school and out-of-work

9%

higher poverty rate than NYC as a whole

4,588

out-of-school, out-of-work young adults

32%

of young adults receiving SNAP benefits
Approach

YES Bed Stuy’s mission is to pursue equity and to empower all young adults in Bedford-Stuyvesant to achieve long-term success in the workforce. This community-led, demand-driven workforce partnership offers a coordinated set of skills training, educational services, and wraparound support services to help young adults secure jobs in growing areas of the economy. It also works with employers to streamline their hiring processes and better connect job seekers to career-ladder jobs.

YES Bed Stuy is committed to:

Preparing and connecting Bedford-Stuyvesant youth to local and in-demand jobs and meaningful careers by increasing their educational attainment, awareness of opportunities, and training.

Designing an integrated community-based system—based on the input of young adults—that offers access to a wide range of programs, services, customized supportive services, and leadership opportunities with an eye toward job connection, career growth, and long-term financial stability and economic mobility.

Promoting young adults’ job retention and advancement by providing the necessary support to address the challenges that they and their employers face.

Identifying, engaging, and partnering with employers who commit to hiring YES Bed Stuy’s trained and supported youth.

To achieve these goals, YES Bed Stuy focuses on the following:

Youth Leadership Committee that puts young adults’ voices front and center with regard to the collaborative’s activities.

Centralized Community Hub, a community space where young adults, particularly those who are out of school and out of work, can …

Providing customized, one-on-one case management and service planning for young adults.

Organizing and distributing a pool of job vacancies with local employer partners shared across YES Bed Stuy partners for a broader reach in sectors and job opportunities for young adults.

Ensuring a dedicated coordinator for education, workforce, and supportive services in the Bedford-Stuyvesant community.

Visit the YES! Bed Stuy Website
Impact

Since its launch in 2021, YES Bed Stuy has worked with stakeholders in the community—over 40 leaders from multiple sectors—to build stronger pathways for young adults to access economic opportunities through education, training, employment, and wraparound services.

$365,187

Funds Raised & Leveraged

10

Youth Leadership Community Members

40

Community Stakeholders Participating

15

Partners Engaged

Our Partners

Partner with Us

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Youth WINS

The Challenge

In 2015, before Youth WINS was launched, nearly one in five young adults on Staten Island were out of school and out of work. The North Shore of the island—where almost half of all residents under 24 years old are located—had a higher rate of out-of-school, out-of-work young adults than all other boroughs except for the Bronx. Despite such great need, Staten Island was suffering from low levels of public and private investments in workforce services, a lack of viable public transportation, and a dearth of high-quality jobs. During this time:

18%

of Staten Island young adults were out of school or out of work

21%

of Staten Island residents lived in poverty

31,000

18-24 year olds had some college credits but no degree

11,000

residents lacked a high school diploma

Approach

Youth WINS is a collaborative partnership with a mission to ensure that all young adults on Staten Island are meaningfully employed in order to become financially secure and economically mobile.

The collaborative convenes community-based organizations to offer educational bridges, customized training, and wraparound support services to out-of-school, out-of-work young adults on Staten Island. Following the provision of these services, the organizations and the college then work with the Chamber of Commerce to help young adults secure jobs in high-demand industries and occupations. Youth WINS also focuses on sector-based employment strategies and has a robust advocacy plan to increase resources for workforce initiatives on the island.

Visit the YouthWINS Website

Impact

Since its launch in 2017, Youth WINS has connected young adults to education, in-demand credentials programs, college, and jobs.

$2.9M+

Funds Raised & Leveraged

1715

Young Adults Engaged in Career Development

3342

People Served

146

Young Adults Placed in Jobs

Our Partners

Partner with Us

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Sector Network: Tech

The Challenge

The traditional way of acquiring tech skills—expensive and time-consuming—is out of reach for many New Yorkers, preventing them from embarking on lucrative tech careers. There is no unified strategy to prepare New York City’s workforce for in-demand tech jobs, despite rapid growth and an overwhelming need for tech workers. It is therefore vital to establish an innovative approach that aligns supply and demand, equipping jobseekers with the necessary skills and resources to thrive in this dynamic environment.

When JobsFirst NYC launched the Tech Sector Network in 2021:

only

1 in 5

tech sector jobs were held by Black and Hispanic workers despite this population making up 43% of NYC’s overall workforce

only

19%

of tech training programs equipped grads for advanced-skill tech jobs, not meeting the market demand

tech industry was the

3rd-largest

employment sector for younger New Yorkers

Approach

The Tech Sector Network promotes skills-based hiring to meet labor demand in partnership with employers, and organizes and expands skilling and upskilling opportunities to increase New Yorkers’ access to high-wage jobs and advance their economic mobility.

By enabling employers to tell trainers what skills workers need today and in the future, collaborating on customized training to meet labor market demands, and providing a steady pipeline of qualified talent, the Network aims to forge an inclusive and thriving tech industry with accessible and market-driven training that leads to economic opportunity. The Tech Sector Network is committed to:

Organizing and expanding customized training and upskilling across tech skills training providers.

Strengthening collective mechanisms to negotiate with employers.

Systematizing a Network referral system to bolster the talent pipeline.

Advancing a skills-based (vs. degree-based) hiring approach as a more efficient, inclusive, and effective recruitment process.

Impact

The Network has completed the investigate, imagine, and incubate phases of JobsFirst NYC’s partnership development process and is currently in the implementation phase, which will impact technical career pathways and job quality, ultimately benefiting jobseekers and employers alike.

$130K

Funds Raised & Leveraged

98+

Young Adults Served

27+

Employers Engaged

Our Partners

Partner with Us

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