New York City launched the Workforce Development Council where a group of leaders from the business community, educational institutions, unions and training providers will help develop strategies that will help New Yorkers find careers that sustain people. families and employers.
An initial investment of $3.5 million will identify potential private and nonprofit sector partners interested in developing new learning programs and transforming existing talent development initiatives into structured apprenticeships.
“While our city has regained all private sector jobs lost during the pandemic, our recovery has not benefited all New Yorkers equitably. To change this, we need partners from all corners of our city,” explained Mayor Adams.
The Workforce Development Council will make recommendations to the Mayor’s Office of Talent and Workforce Development (NYC Talent) and the New York City Workforce Development Board, which is responsible for managing between $60 million and $100 million in annual federal funding from the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act.
inaugural president
Additionally, it was confirmed that Rob Speyer, CEO of Tishman Speyer, will be the inaugural chair of the Workforce Development Council.
Speyer has led the firm’s global expansion and diversification strategy, growing its assets under management to more than $65 billion and launching new business lines including housing, industrials, life sciences and venture investing.
Additionally, he is the Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Mayor’s Fund to Advance the City of New York, first appointed by Mayor Bloomberg in 2006, re-appointed by Mayor de Blasio in 2014, and most recently re-elected by Mayor Adams.
He is also co-chair of the Partnership for New York City and a member of the New York Jobs CEO Council.
“I look forward to collaborating with my fellow members of this council to identify the most promising career paths for New Yorkers today and tomorrow,” highlighted the municipal advisor.
The launch of this advisory group fulfills another key recommendation of the Adams administration’s Task Force on the Future of Workers, which created “Pathways to an Inclusive Economy,” a plan to strengthen the city’s talent ecosystem and create an equitable economy.
To further this goal, the administration recently launched “Jobs NYC,” a multipronged effort to reduce barriers to economic opportunity and provide workforce development services directly to communities across the five boroughs experiencing high unemployment.
Earlier this year, Mayor Adams unveiled a first-of-its-kind plan to grow the city’s green economy and better position New Yorkers to benefit from the nearly 400,000 “green” jobs projected in New York City by 2040.