Page 11 - Skills 2022

BUSINESSFIRST
BusinessFirst is the umbrella term
for all county programs, says Bridget Gibbons, Westchester County’s director of economic development. The
county has prioritized four economic development sectors: bioscience, advanced manufacturing, technology, and clean energy. “Employers in advanced manufacturing told us they can’t hire enough people, so the county is launching a certification program to train entry-level folks to have the skills needed to start with a company,” she says. No college degree is needed, and in the six-month program, candidates learn skills in safety, quality assurance, manufacturing processes, and more.
BusinessFirst also holds job fairs, which are “back to basics, pre-COVID, in-person for various sectors,” she says. One construction firm hired 25 people from one fair alone, she says. More job fairs are coming up.
ON THE JOB TRAINING (OJT)
“Our strategy is train, train, train,” Gibbons says, and to that end, employers should look into OJT.
This statewide program will pay 50%
of the wages of a new hire being trained on the job by an employer. “Even though it’s a job seekers’ market, that doesn’t mean people can just leave their hospital service job and
go to a digital marketing company,”
Kleiner says. With OJT funding, employers can hire new workers who have the potential to enhance their business but need specific training to reach full potential. Training can even include “soft skills” such as customer service. “Employers can contact us, register with us, and we will walk them through the process,” Kleiner says. (For examples of employers who
have made successful use of the OJT program, see page 14.)
OFFICE OF WORKFORCE INVESTMENT (OWI)
The OWI provides workforce development services to both job seekers and employers. In partnership with economic development agencies, business organizations, educational institutions, community-based organizations, and other workforce development agencies through Putnam
Above: The Westchester County Association (WCA) Annual Breakfast is an opportunity
for employers to hear from local workforce- development experts such as Belinda Miles, president of SUNY Westchester Community College; Joe Carbone, president and CEO of The WorkPlace; and Diane Woolley,
Chief Human Resources Officer at White Plains Hospital.
and Westchester counties, OWI offers a “One Stop” system. This system of core and satellite career centers provides businesses with local labor market information, employee recruitment, opportunities to post job openings
and business resource information. “There are lots of reasons people are looking for jobs, and there are lots of jobs, but somehow the two are not coming together,” says Grant Schneider, president and founder of Performance Development Strategies, a leadership and organization development consultancy. OWI looks to match those people to those jobs. “Shame on employers if they don’t spend time” with OWI, he says.
THE MINORITY- AND WOMEN-OWNED BUSINESS PROGRAM
This resource for minority- and women-owned businesses, either just starting out or long-established, centers around networking “and we know developers are looking to hire minority- and women-owned businesses,” Gibbons says.
“Even though it’s a job seekers’ market, that doesn’t mean people can just leave their hospital service job and go to a digital marketing company.”
—Thom Kleiner, Executive Director, Westchester-Putnam Workforce Development Board
What’s Hot. What’s Next. What’s Needed. 2022 SKILLS 9
© Courtesy of WCA