Jobs Waiting Expands in the Hudson Valley

High-wage, high-skilled jobs are plentiful in the Hudson Valley, yet they are not being filled by employers.

“Our young adults are our most valuable resource, and we want them to succeed right here in the Hudson Valley,” says Stephen Knob, director, Orange County Workforce Development Board. Over the past two years, the Jobs Waiting Program, a federally-funded initiative, trained and placed 200+ long-term unemployed individuals in the healthcare industry across the Hudson Valley. Through a $4 million federal grant, the successful Jobs Waiting Program is expanding to serve more job seekers in more industries.

“Good-paying jobs are available in Orange County, and the ‘Jobs Waiting’ Program helps ensure that they are filled,” said Orange County Executive, Steven M. Neuhaus. “We are invested in bolstering an already highly-skilled and educated workforce in the County. ‘Jobs Waiting’ will greatly benefit our workforce here, and across the Hudson Valley. We are excited about this collaboration.”

Thanks to the grant, the expanded program will serve 400 individuals in the Hudson Valley, including 68 in Orange County, the majority of which will include young adults with barriers to employment and training, including lack of transportation, low education attainment, childcare needs, and housing insecurity. The program will also serve long-term unemployed or underemployed individuals, and incumbent workers who need training to advance in their careers.

Administered by the Westchester Putnam Workforce Development Board (WPWDB), the program will now serve the advanced manufacturing, biotech, and information technology sectors, and target the young adult (17 to 29) demographic. According to Donnovan Beckford, executive director, the expanded Jobs Waiting program will fast-track unemployed individuals, primarily low-skilled young adults with barriers to employment, into education and training to prepare for well-paying jobs.

“Dramatic workforce changes call for upgrading the skills of today’s job seekers and workers to help them perform optimally in their jobs and advance in their careers,” says Beckford. “Jobs Waiting has been a success. Now we can expand on it and make it easier for employers to hire and train qualified candidates, as we can provide financial incentives – including paid work tryouts and funds for on-the-job training.”

Since fall 2015, over 360 long-term unemployed individuals have participated in Jobs Waiting in the Hudson Valley. “We have been successful with Jobs Waiting in the healthcare industry. Not only are we providing hands-on support that is making a huge difference in the participants’ lives, we are meeting the needs of employers in the Hudson Valley by providing a pipeline of skilled candidates needed to help them grow and expand,” adds Beckford.

Model workforce program

Orange Works has recruited 30 participants for the program, set to begin in Newburgh on October 30, and in Dutchess, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, and Ulster Counties in the coming months.

The program will address barriers to employment, provide training and support services to participants, and help employers pay for hiring and training program graduates. Individuals who are accepted into the program participate in a six-week career readiness “boot camp,” which includes a skills assessment, career mapping, soft-skills, social media skills, interviewing techniques, and intensive, one-on-one career coaching. After the boot camp, graduates move on to training at participating educational institutions or an occupational skills training program. The goal is to equip participants with the credentials and skills needed for an array of high-demand occupations, for example:

Biotechnology: laboratory technicians, health and safety specialist, and research associates;

Healthcare: medical coding and billing specialists, ultrasound technicians, registered and licensed practical nurses;

Information technology: database administrator, network specialist, web developer, software engineer;

Advanced manufacturing: mechanical engineers, HVAC technicians, computer-controlled machinery operators, and programmers.

“The program has a successful model that works,” explains Knob. “Jobs Waiting includes a specialized intensive boot camp, occupational training, and hands-on support, which is critical for participants who face challenges in entering or re-entering the workforce. At the same time, we’re working closely with the employers to identify their hard-to-fill jobs, and the skills and training that is needed.”

Model collaborative partnership

Grants were awarded to communities that could demonstrate their commitment and readiness to implement innovative training and job placement strategies, according to Beckford. Major employers, including Mechanical Rubber, Crystal Run Healthcare, and Advance Testing Company, Inc. have committed their support. In addition, key industry associations, including the Hudson Valley Economic Development Corporation (HVEDC) and the Council of Industry of Southeastern New York, have signed on. These partners will assist with program design, provide input in industry needs and trends, and facilitate opportunities for job shadowing, internships, work experiences or on-the-job training.

“We’re committed to working with Jobs Waiting because they understand business needs in the new economy,” said Cedric Glasper, President of Mechanical Rubber. “Today’s workers need a different set of skills than they did 20 years ago, and they need more education. We need critical thinkers with technology skills. This initiative will provide us with a pipeline of candidates who are ready and willing to work.”

“Jobs Waiting is a win-win for everyone involved,” says Knob. “Our training providers have access to a pool of eager students; our employer partners gain access to a vetted, motivated and trained pipeline of talent; and the participants gain a pathway to a job, a career, and economic success. What’s more, our region as a whole benefits from a robust talent pool and increased opportunities for business growth.”

The regional partnership also includes the Westchester-Putnam, Yonkers, and Rockland Workforce Development boards and will serve to connect workers to training and jobs in seven counties in the Hudson Valley: Westchester, Putnam, Rockland, Orange, Dutchess, Ulster and Sullivan. For more information, visit www.jobswaiting.com.

About the Jobs Waiting-TechHire Program

Jobs Waiting is a federally-funded regional partnership to help Hudson Valley residents and employers; the program helps employers hire and train employees while connecting residents to high-wage, high-skill jobs in fast-growing industries in the Hudson Valley. Funded by federal Ready to Work and TechHire partnership grants from the U.S. Department of Labor, the program is led by Westchester County in partnership with the Westchester-Putnam Workforce Development Board, employment centers throughout seven Hudson Valley Counties, and the Westchester County Association, which manages the Ready to Work federal grant program. The program aims to prepare long-term unemployed individuals for jobs in the region’s fastest-growing industries including advanced manufacturing, biotechnology, healthcare, and information technology. Jobs Waiting includes a rigorous six-week healthcare career training boot camp, which provides specialized career readiness training and support services to prepare candidates for work, with ongoing training opportunities and career support services for program graduates. Since Jobs Waiting launched in October 2015, over 400 participants have participated in 21 boot camps, with over 200 placed in jobs throughout the Hudson Valley.

Photo captions:

Jessica Lopez of Newburgh; participants in the boot camp on the first day; Raven Singleton of Middletown.