Page 9 - SKILLS Workforce Development Guide 2021

In recent months, the county has been ushering in a sector- based strategy for workforce development, emphasizing advanced manufacturing, biosciences, financial technology, and clean energy, says Bridget Gibbons, director of economic development for the county. This approach was outlined in
the Westchester County Economic Development Strategy, Recovery and Implementation Plan, released by Westchester County Executive George Latimer last summer. For each one, a task force made up of employers, civic organizations, and higher-education institutions will provide guidance. Each sector will also have a “desk” at the county that employers can call for information on relocating to Westchester or connecting with resources in the sector. The task forces will focus on workforce needs in each of these sectors, says Gibbons.
“The central question we are asking is: ‘How do we get a pipeline of talent going to the businesses of Westchester County?’” says Gibbons. “One of our top priorities is to get them talent so they can grow.”
The county has also been holding quarterly events on WebEx to feature businesses that moved to the county. In interviewing the business owners, the presentations have showcased the quality of the local workforce, which includes many college graduates. “Westchester is an ideal location for businesses that need an educated workforce,” says Gibbons.
But there have been many shifts in what skills employers need since the pandemic. To help displaced workers, the county introduced Launch 1000, a program to help workers turn a skill or hobby into an income stream, and began taking applications in November.
The county is also looking into fostering more apprenticeships, with an eye on positioning those who accept these positions for full-time jobs. “I think apprenticeships and internships will be part of the solution,” says Gibbons.
EMBRACING APPRENTICESHIPS
In the current environment, more people are looking at skilled trades as potential careers, says Harold King, president of the Council of Industry, an association based in Newburgh. “We’re getting back to where we were in the 1960s, respecting these trades and the apprenticeships that go with them,”
says King. The Council is encouraging its members to
consider offering apprenticeships to gain a competitive edge in recruiting.
To introduce young people to jobs that they may not have considered, the Workforce Development Institute, a statewide nonprofit in Albany, started piloting a career exploration program focused on general work readiness with the City
of White Plains Youth Bureau in January. Focused on at-risk young people ages 18 to 24, it offers four to six weeks of occupational and life-skills training in paid internships at local businesses, including those in the trades. “If it works, we might try it elsewhere in the state,” says Dan Cullen, director of field services for the institute.
Programs like this are important for addressing the “silver tsunami,” says Cullen. “A lot of people are leaving the skilled trades. There are not a lot of people ready to fill that vacuum.”
There are also efforts afoot in the county to encourage young people to consider entering fields such as healthcare, where local employers posted more than 500 ads looking for help in the last 60 days, says Cullen. “We have had a spike recently,” he notes. Once someone gets a credential to be a certified nursing assistant, they could conceivably be encouraged to move on to become a nurse, a higher-paid position, through an organized program, he points out. “We’d love to see where we could help pilot it,” he says.
SYNCING TRAINING WITH EMPLOYERS’ NEEDS
Many business leaders in the county recognize that successfully matching employers in need of talent with workers who have the right qualifications will be essential to rebuilding the economy post-COVID. With some sectors, such as hospitality and restaurants, still hurting and a number of small businesses in the county now permanently closed, there has been substantial displacement due to the pandemic. The county still had 22,000 individuals collecting unemployment
What’s Hot. What’s Next. What’s Needed.
SKILLS 7
© Margaret Fox