New York City Mayor Eric Adams today celebrated major progress towards achieving the administration’s moonshot goal of delivering 30,000 apprenticeships by 2030.
A key commitment first laid out in his 2023 State of the City address. The city is currently on track to deliver over 14,000 apprenticeship opportunities by the end of 2024 — ahead of schedule and nearly halfway towards the moonshot goal announced last year. As the city reaches a new private-sector jobs high, with the lowest unemployment since August 2022 and the lowest Black unemployment in half a decade, this effort contributes to Mayor Adams’ “Spring Jobs Sprint” to advance opportunities for thousands of new jobs through the final weeks of spring.
“To thrive in an ever-changing and evolving economy, we need to build tomorrow’s workforce today, and that work starts with investing in apprenticeships,” said Mayor Adams. “As we enter into a new chapter of our economic recovery, we must continue to be vigilant in our efforts to build accessible career pathways for all New Yorkers. By already creating more than 14,000 apprenticeship opportunities — ahead of schedule — we are not only delivering on another State of the City commitment, but we are changing the career trajectory for thousands of New Yorkers across our city.”
“… our mission to create pathways to prosperity for all New Yorkers …”
“We have made significant progress in our mission to create pathways to prosperity for all New Yorkers,” said First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright. “With over 14,000 apprenticeship opportunities already in motion, we’re well on our way to achieving our moonshot goal of 30,000 apprenticeship opportunities by 2030. These apprenticeships, across various industries, are helping New Yorkers develop quality, sustainable careers that uplift our communities. We are laying the groundwork for a stronger, more inclusive workforce, which creates a stronger, more equitable New York City.”
“Today’s announcement is another example of the ‘Get Stuff Done’ mantra of this administration and our commitment to connecting New Yorkers to family sustaining career pathways,” said Deputy Mayor for Housing, Economic Development, and Workforce Maria Torres-Springer. “With these apprenticeship opportunities, New Yorkers, regardless of their level of career readiness, can learn meaningful skills while earning income. I’m thrilled that these opportunities will be made available through the jobs.nyc.gov portal and the ‘Jobs NYC’ hiring halls happening across each of the five boroughs.”
“Apprenticeship seamlessly combines the ability to learn and earn with on-the-job training and credentialing — one of the most effective ways to launch New York City’s diverse talent into good paying careers, pathways to opportunity, and economic mobility,” said New York City Mayor’s Office of Talent and Workforce Development Executive Director Abby Jo Sigal. “Our economy is evolving more rapidly than ever, and employers will need to tap highly-trained and diverse talent to thrive in a more competitive global economy. The Adams administration recognized the power of apprenticeships from the start on day one, and thanks to steadfast leadership and commitment, New York City is well on its way to achieving the moonshot goal of 30,000 apprenticeships by 2030.”
“… helping our students hone highly needed professional skills …”
“At The City University of New York, we’ve seen time and again how valuable apprenticeships can be in helping our students hone highly needed professional skills and create meaningful networking connections that can shape the course of their careers,” said The City University of New York Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez. “This apprenticeship milestone is a significant step that will make the city’s workforce more equitable by giving more New Yorkers the skills and connections needed to build prosperous, rewarding careers.”
“Apprenticeships are one of the most effective ways to grow the skilled and competitive workforce that powers our city’s bedrock of nearly 200,000 small businesses,” said New York City Department of Small Business Services (SBS) Commissioner Kevin D. Kim. “With the ambitious goal of creating 30,000 apprenticeship opportunities by 2030, the Adams administration is committed to increasing employment and unlocking the potential of our diverse talent pool. From serving nearly 100,000 New Yorkers each year through SBS Workforce1 Career Centers to operating apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs that help New Yorkers enter high-growth industries, SBS is proud of our role in the city’s robust workforce development network that is helping to advance a ‘City of Yes’ for every New Yorker.”
“Apprenticeship makes sense to job seekers and dollars to businesses — it is a collaboration between workforce and industry that breaks down the barriers of translation to meet skills gaps in critical areas of demand,” said New York City Apprenticeship Accelerator Executive Director Ismail Ocasio. “Through Apprenticeship Accelerator, we address the critical issues of recruitment, retention, and the retooling necessary to meet the demands of a changing economy. Apprenticeship Accelerator allows workers from diverse backgrounds to grow and develop their craft while contributing productive work that helps businesses thrive.”
“… the ambitious goal of delivering 30,000 apprenticeship opportunities by 2030.”
Last year, the Adams administration created a new Apprenticeship Accelerator within the Mayor’s Office of Talent and Workforce Development (NYC Talent) to achieve the ambitious goal of delivering 30,000 apprenticeship opportunities by 2030. The Apprenticeship Accelerator is a specialized team dedicated to building partnerships with employers and training providers, and working across all sectors to create, scale, and improve pipelines to apprenticeships. The estimated 14,000 apprenticeships — which include training and employment opportunities across the public sector, green economy, tech, business, health care, and food and beverage industries — all follow the Apprenticeship Accelerator’s guidelines for best practices and were vetted and curated to ensure that they support pathways towards securing quality, good-paying jobs.
Included in the 14,000 apprenticeships are more than 1,000 new union nurses trained over the past eight months at the city’s public hospital system, replacing many temporary nurses. Those efforts follow last year’s milestone of 5,000 new registered nurses trained through the citywide Nurse Residency Program, the nation’s first city-led nurse residency consortium designed to support working nurses and their seamless transition from school to clinical practice. Finally, NYC Talent recently launched the NYC Center for Nursing Education and Practice, which focuses on building the infrastructure to help New Yorkers advance both into and in nursing careers. The center is launching a new Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) apprenticeship pilot nursing program aimed to specifically address the nursing workforce pipeline, in partnership with the Robin Hood Foundation and 1199SEIU Training and Employment Funds. The LPN Apprenticeship is geared towards incumbent certified nurse assistants in nursing homes, a population overwhelmingly represented by immigrants and women of color.
The Adams administration has made continued investments towards creating apprenticeship opportunities across New York City. In April, Mayor Adams announced the launch of the New York City Workforce Development Council, a group of leaders from the business community, educational institutions, unions, and training providers who will help develop and sustain strategies that will aid New Yorkers in finding family-sustaining careers and help employers tap the talent they need to succeed. NYC Talent recently announced two requests for proposals and a request for information to broaden the city’s understanding of the apprenticeship landscape and determine the support needed to expand apprenticeships. Additionally, last year, the “Pathways to an Inclusive Economy: An Action Plan for Young Adult Career Success,” an over $600 million action plan to bolster the city’s talent ecosystem.
Over the past several months, the Adams administration has made historic investments towards creating job opportunities for working-class New Yorkers. Last month, Mayor Adams was joined by New York Governor Kathy Hochul and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to announce an agreement to transform the Brooklyn Marine Terminal into a modern maritime port and vibrant mixed-use community hub, with the potential to create thousands of jobs. The project also builds on generational and forward-looking projects across all five boroughs that Mayor Adams has advanced over the past two years, including Willets Point in Queens, the New York Climate Exchange on Governors Island, Kingsbridge Armory in the Bronx, the SPARC Kips Bay life sciences hub in Manhattan, the “North Shore Action Plan” on Staten Island, and the , among others. Climate Innovation Hub in Brooklyn, among others.
Additionally, in April, Mayor Adams launched “Run This Town,” a multi-media advertising campaign to engage diverse New Yorkers and help them apply for thousands of available city government jobs. The announcement followed the launch of “Jobs NYC,” a multi-pronged citywide effort to reduce barriers to economic opportunities and deliver workforce development services directly to communities across the five boroughs that are experiencing high unemployment. Both campaigns are expected to further reduce the unacceptable disparities in employment between Black, Latino, and white communities. Finally, the Adams administration continues to host hiring halls to bring both public- and private-sector job opportunities to neighborhoods across the five boroughs on a monthly basis.
“Apprenticeships are a fast-track to meaningful, rewarding careers,” said New York State Assemblymember Jenifer Rajkumar. “Recognizing the value of apprenticeships for economic empowerment, we will deliver over 14,000 by the end of the year. This ‘Spring Jobs Sprint’ milestone puts us comfortably on track to reach our moonshot goal of 30,000 apprenticeships by 2030. The initiative has contributed to New York City’s record job growth, allowing tens of thousands more New Yorkers to stand on their own two feet.”
“… paving multiple pathways for economic prosperity for young adults …”
New York City’s commitment to creating over 14,000 apprenticeships by the end of 2024 is a testament to the power of government leadership in solving complex challenges,” said Marjorie Parker, chief executive officer and president, JobsFirstNYC. “By prioritizing workforce development and collaboration across public and private sectors, New York City is paving multiple pathways for economic prosperity for young adults and their communities. Large-scale collaborative efforts between employers, educators, government and other key stakeholders break down barriers and transforms systems, while establishing an effective blueprint for cities like New York, and advancing JobsFirstNYC’s mission.”
“The majority of New York Jobs CEO Council members now include apprentice programs as part of their early career hiring strategy,” said Kiersten Barnet, executive director, New York Jobs CEO Council. “The New York Jobs CEO Council supports the Mayor’s Office of Talent and Workforce Development in expanding professional apprenticeship opportunities in non-traditional sectors.”
“Apprenticeships are vital to the successful and sustainable linkage of workforce and economic development, said Gregory J. Morris, chief executive officer, New York City Employment and Training Coalition (NYCETC). “This linkage is a driving force for post-pandemic recovery- it increases the number of jobs and puts more New Yorkers on pathways to economic mobility. As we celebrate the administration’s progress toward its moonshot goal of 30,000 apprentices by 2030 and support its commitment to closing the unemployment gap, NYCETC will continue to partner with the city to maximize access to the on-ramps to apprenticeships and family-sustaining careers, including training and reskilling, wrap around and retention services, and employer and industry partnership.”
“Apprenticeship in Licensed Practical Nursing is an important tool to fill healthcare workforce shortages across the continuum of care, but particularly in nursing homes,” said Daniel Bustillo, deputy executive director, 1199SEIU Training and Employment Funds, and Member, New York City Workforce Development Council. “The experience for New Yorkers entering the healthcare workforce is also invaluable. Participants are paid during their clinical education and receive hands-on experience with far more depth.”
“… connecting New Yorkers with secure and rewarding employment.”
“The NYC Workforce Development Fund and The New York Community Trust congratulate the Apprenticeship Accelerator team on achieving this milestone,” said Roderick Jenkins, program director for promising futures, The New York Community Trust and co-chair, The New York Community Trust’s NYC Workforce Development Fund. “Apprenticeships are an important strategy for connecting New Yorkers with secure and rewarding employment.”
“We are thrilled to celebrate the administration’s progress towards building a more inclusive future of work for New Yorkers and proud to continue supporting the efforts through the Accenture North America Apprenticeship Program,” said Deborah Snyder, senior managing director and northeast health and public service client group lead, Accenture. “Apprenticeships provide a win-win solution for all involved — career opportunities for people seeking to acquire new skills and access to a broader, motivated and skilled talent pool for employers. When we scale our efforts through public-private collaboration, that impact gets multiplied and has the power to change communities. You need to look no further than New York City as a leading example.”
“We applaud Mayor Adams, NYC Health + Hospitals Chief Nurse Executive Natalie Cineas, and their teams for their efforts to support a nursing talent pipeline that address workforce gaps and meets the health care needs of NYC communities,” said Beth Oliver, DNP, RN, FAAN, chief nurse executive and senior vice president, cardiac services, Mount Sinai Health System. “Mount Sinai’s nursing mission is to provide exceptional clinical experiences and outcomes for patients and families in the many diverse communities we serve through the advancement of nursing practice guided by unrivaled education, equity, leadership, innovation, and scientific nursing research. We are committed to creating a thriving nurse workforce that improves health in the communities we serve.”
Photo credit: 1) NYC.gov. 2) HWM.
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