Pathways to careers and away from guns

CWE and partners like Phipps Neighborhoods provided job training and career placements to give young people a path away from gun violence

Gun violence is down from increased levels early in the pandemic. Among the many factors involved are community organizations that played a key role in stemming violence in their community.
 
In 2021, the Consortium for Worker Education brought together community organizations around the city to outreach to young people in high-risk neighborhoods, bring them into job training programs, and place them into careers. 
 
“The premise was to get these young people into training so they can get a job that will be a career,” says Glenda Williams, Deputy Executive Director of Workforce Partnerships at CWE. “Our mission was to get them off the streets and into something that they can feel good about.”
 
Funding for the program was secured following a meeting CWE President Joseph McDermott and Building & Construction Trades Council of Greater New York President Gary LaBarbera had with the New York governor’s office. The result was the CWE Young Adult Gun Violence Prevention Program, a partnership with the New York State Department of Labor. 
 
The program focused resources in neighborhoods facing the highest levels of gun violence in the city. For decades, CWE has been helping organizations in these communities build robust workforce development programs, and this capacity was quickly tapped to meet the new challenge. CWE also engaged new organizations with experience helping New Yorkers most at-risk, including faith-based organizations and violence interrupters.
  
“Queens Community House joined this initiative as it is aligned with our mission to provide individuals and families with the tools to enrich their lives,” says Ivonne Torres, LMSW, Associate Executive Director of Young Adult Services located in Southeast Queens. “We see workforce development as a way to support our participants out of poverty. Placing young people in jobs will ultimately provide them with upward mobility, safety, and positive contributions to their community.”
 
CWE partners developed unique strategies tailored to reach at-risk young people, including through local schools, churches, neighborhood athletic leagues, gun violence prevention groups, and individuals referred from the court system. The organizations helped participants identify education gaps, learn basic job-readiness skills, and plan an initial set of activities to improve their employability. 
 
“At Phipps Neighborhoods, we know that gun violence is a public health crisis with dire social and economic costs for our Bronx residents,” says Andre White, Executive Director & CEO of Phipps Neighborhoods. “Joblessness and marginal employment opportunities contribute to the cycle of violence by increasing stress, weakening social bonds and connections to the labor force, and negatively impacting psychological well-being. Phipps Neighborhoods joined the CWE Young Adult Gun Violence Prevention Program because as a social change organization, we are committed to investing in our community and creating high-paying and sustaining career pathways for our most vulnerable and economically disadvantaged neighbors.”
 
“Our partners trained young people for careers that run the gamut of industries in New York City,” says Williams. Participants could select programs in the culinary arts, carpentry, manufacturing, IT, cyber security, customer service, and commercial driving. The program provided funding for hardware to get these technical training programs off the ground. 
 
“At graduation, they received an industry-recognized credential and were placed into a job with a career ladder, so they can move up to mid-level and advanced positions,” says Williams.
 
CWE has experience supporting workers of all ages, but participants in this program, who are all young, out-of-work, and out-of-school, needed special support, especially amidst the pandemic. Many were facing food insecurity, so funding from CWE to provide breakfast and lunch allowed them to stay in the program and get the most out of it. The program also provided participants with backpacks filled with the necessary items for training; with a mixture of hands-on and virtual training, they needed the tools of their chosen trade, as well as laptops or tablets, cell phones, and wi-fi hotspots.
 
CWE partners also provided Metrocards and no-cost referrals for housing support, substance abuse counseling, and assistance applying for public benefits. 
 
By the time the program finished its work in August 2023, 3,500 young people had participated in training, 1,100 had earned an industry-recognized credential, and 1,300 had been placed into careers. 
 
“We applaud our partners and the CWE staff who devoted themselves to helping young people and stemming the violence in our communities during the pandemic,” says Williams. “And we thank the Governor’s office and the DOL for supporting this innovative program from start to finish.”