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Dear
Friends and Supporters,
For
three decades, the Consortium for Worker
Education has dedicated itself to the development of New
York's workforce. Through partnerships with unions and community
organizations, CWE provides education, training, and job placement
for tens of thousands of workers every year. Please read on for the
latest news from the Consortium for Worker Education.
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Women Graduate
into "Nontraditional" Careers
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Congratulations to the newest graduates of Nontraditional Employment
for Women’s Blue Collar Prep
program, which prepares women for careers in the building trades. The
group celebrated at Nontraditional Employment for Women’s Chelsea training
facility.
“It’s rare that in 7 weeks a group of women could form such a
tight-knit bond,” says graduate Ivana Sabala. “It wasn’t about
competition. We wanted to see each other excel. NEW changed the
trajectory of our lives and we will forever be grateful.”
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Behind the
Scenes at JtBO
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CWE's Jobs to Build On staff (left
to right): Marlene Mack-Johnson, Leticia Thomas, Jeanette Joseph,
Ophelia Stewart, Maria Diaz, and Seretese Smith.
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Every day, hundreds of New Yorkers benefit from the
Jobs to Build On programs offered at their local community
organizations. Behind the scenes, the Consortium for Worker
Education’s team of JtBO coordinators and program assistants are
working to ensure that each of those programs has the support and
oversight they need to serve their clients.
“We are available to the partner organizations 24/7,” says Leticia
Thomas, JtBO’s Assistant Director. “Because we monitor the programs
so closely, we prevent problems from happening.”
The
coordinators spend their days in the offices of JtBO partner
organizations, overseeing finances and programmatic success. If a
JtBO partner is not on track to meet its job placement goals, CWE
staff help the organization develop a corrective action plan.
Financially, CWE requires documentation for every invoice, to ensure
that the City-Council-funded program can account for every cent it
spends.
Back at the CWE office, JtBO’s program assistants maintain a massive
database that tracks every participant as they move from job
training, to placement, to verified employment. This gives both the
program and the JtBO staff an up-to-the-minute snapshot of where they
stand in relation to their goals. Globally, CWE can track which
neighborhoods participants live in and how much they earn after
completing the program, allowing CWE to create new programs that
serve the needs of New York’s unemployed.
But such strict oversight does not create the tension that some might
expect. “The partners know we are there to help them,” says program
coordinator Seretese Smith. When organizations are on track, “we
praise them,” adds program manager Ophelia Stewart.
The
relationship is strengthened by the commitment that staff members
make to partner organizations, working with them year after year,
learning their strengths, and helping them improve. “It's like we are
part of their staff,” says program coordinator Maria Diaz. The JtBO
staff connect organizations that are serving similar populations and can
learn from each other. They also share success stories that
organizations can emulate.
Eight years in, Jobs to Build On has grown to include more community
partners in new neighborhoods, and has trained and placed more than
16,000 New Yorkers into good-paying jobs. The capacity of JtBO staff
members has developed alongside the organization and they are not
done growing.
“We haven’t peaked yet,” says Smith.
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Employer
Partner: William Hird and Co.
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Sunset
Park’s William Hird and Company,
Inc. has been serving the fire prevention equipment needs of
New York since 1953. The company sells and services fire
extinguishers and equipment, installs fire suppression systems, and
corrects fire department violations.
William Hird and Company partners with Opportunities for a Better
Tomorrow and its Jobs to Build On program to place OBT graduates into
clerical positions within the company. The partnership shows how Jobs
to Build On is a win-win; the company gets trained, job-ready
employees who live close to work, while the community gets quality
jobs at a neighborhood employer.
The Brooklyn office has 25 employees, who work in the office, shop,
or warehouse. Alice, daughter of company founder William Hird, and
Thomas Bury are the current owners.
“For the most part, OBT folks are well-trained,” Thomas Bury said in
an interview with CWE. “If we have a situation with a staffer from
OBT, we can go back and talk with OBT and they will talk with the
employees and help them to meet our expectations.” This ongoing
commitment from OBT, reinforcing skills and reminding participants of
expectations, gives them the support they need to succeed.
It is clear that OBT and William Hird and Company share the same goal
of improving lives through employment.
“This is important,” says Bury. “What’s good is the care that OBT
takes in training and trying to mentor young people that may have
started out on the wrong path.”
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