City opens Workforce1 Sandy Recovery Career Center in Coney Island

April 8, 2015 Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Councilmember Mark Treyger. Eagle photo by Paula Katinas

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Department of Small Business Services (SBS) Commissioner Maria Torres-Springer, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Housing Recovery Operations (HRO) Amy Peterson, and New York City Council Member Mark Treyger, today announced the opening of a new Sandy Recovery Workforce1 Career Center, located at 1906 Mermaid Avenue in Coney Island. The Coney Island Sandy Recovery Center is part of the administration’s commitment to expedite economic recovery in Sandy-impacted neighborhoods by training and connecting individuals to recovery and resiliency-related career opportunities. In addition to the new Center, Sandy Recovery Workforce1 services will be available at the existing Far Rockaway and South Shore of Staten Island Workforce1 Career Centers by early May.

Funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery Program (CDBG-DR), Workforce1 Sandy Recovery Career Centers will connect Sandy-impacted residents to employment with Build it Back employers, local small businesses, and employers in various sectors citywide. The Center will also offer training opportunities for skills needed to fill positions with Build it Back contractors performing rebuilding and recovery work.

“As we continue to help communities recover from Hurricane Sandy, we must also ensure that we connect local residents to jobs with family-supporting wages and real career pathways,” said Maria Torres-Springer, Commissioner of the NYC Department of Small Business Services. “We are thrilled to be opening a Workforce1 Career Center in Coney Island to help ensure that Sandy impacted residents have access to training and local recovery jobs in their neighborhood, and I thank Amy Peterson and Council Member Treyger for their leadership and partnership on behalf of this community.”

“Build it Back is committed to hiring locally and providing workforce training to low- and moderate-income residents of Sandy-affected communities, increasing access to economic opportunities to ensure that those who live in those communities are having a direct impact on their recovery,” said Amy Peterson, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Housing Recovery. “We are grateful for the leadership of Council Member Treyger and the partnership of the Department of Small Business Services. The expansion of Sandy Recovery Workforce1 and the opening of the Coney Island Center will keep the work local and ensure that in the City’s housing recovery, physical resiliency is matched by economic resiliency.”

“The opening of a Workforce1 center in Coney Island has been a top priority for me and is an important step towards connecting residents in impacted communities with recovery jobs and active roles in the rebuilding of their own neighborhood. With so many storm victims still struggling to build their homes, businesses and lives, it is imperative that residents have access to solid jobs that are created as a result of the recovery effort. I have long called for a local Workforce1 center to serve Southern Brooklyn, so my thanks to Mayor de Blasio, SBS Commissioner Torres-Springer, and Director Peterson for recognizing this need and ensuring that residents of Coney Island will play a critical part in the rebuilding of this great neighborhood,” said Council Member Mark Treyger.

Workforce1 is a service provided by the NYC Department of Small Business Services that prepares and connects qualified candidates to job opportunities in New York City. Through a network of 17 Workforce1 Career Centers, the City helps connect New Yorkers to job opportunities through recruitment events, career advisement, interview and resume assistance and training opportunities.

Sandy Recovery Workforce1 locations will also offer job matching opportunities specifically with Build it Back employers performing rebuilding and recovery work, including construction and non-construction. Eligible individuals can apply for training vouchers to enroll in pre-apprenticeship programs for construction careers and for other construction industry-related skills trainings. Pre-apprenticeship programs are approved by the Building and Construction Trades Council and offer direct entry into a trade union.

Several resources are available to New Yorkers looking for jobs through www.nyc.gov, which offers a list of all Workforce1 Career Center locations and the opportunity to sign up for the Workforce1 Career Bulletin, a weekly email featuring the latest job openings available through the centers. New Yorkers can also find valuable resources online through the Workforce1 Career Blog, and by following Workforce1 on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Sandy-impacted residents are also encouraged to learn more about Sandy Recovery Workforce1 and register for communication about Build it Back job opportunities by visiting nyc.gov/sandyrecoverywf1.