The use of facilitators to engage visitors in conversations at collections-based institutions has the potential to greatly impact and deepen visitor experience. The job requires the development of complex skills across specific strands of study. In this article, we share details on the strands of study in the training of youth floor facilitators…

Noncredit community college programs provide an important route for workforce development. They offer affordable and accessible short-term training options for individuals seeking access to middle-skills jobs. Absent the burdens of accreditation standards, they can respond nimbly to local labor market needs. However, they can also be varied and…

Formerly incarcerated women often find it difficult to reintegrate into their communities after release. For this population, adjustment to changes directly impacts their reentry success in all areas of life. Previous research has identified significant gaps in social services for formerly incarcerated females (FIFs). Service providers'…

CUNY ASAP is a three-year program offering comprehensive student support, financial aid, and structured pathways. The program has served over 100,000 students since 2007 and been replicated across seven states. ASAP's primary goal is to increase the completion of college associate degrees. Specifically, the comprehensive intervention is expected…

This paper presents a synthesis of three collaboratively conducted studies exploring the relationship between career-focused advising and the postsecondary transition with an emphasis on students enrolled in Career and Technical Education (CTE). The studies included a survey administered to high school seniors in New York City schools, an impact…

This case study features CUNY's partnership with Amazon and AWS, which has become a win-win-win for CUNY, Amazon, and the city of New York. It explores how these organizations are working together to overcome barriers for adult learners, and it details outcomes from the initial launch of the program.

New York City (NYC) ended 2020 with roughly 600,000 fewer jobs than it had when the COVID-19 pandemic began. But even amid the economic carnage of the past year, some employers in New York have been hiring. While new jobs are being created in fields from warehousing and delivery to healthcare, technology (tech) positions are growing the fastest.…

This report summarizes the long-term findings of a rigorous random assignment evaluation of the WorkAdvance model, a sectoral training and advancement initiative. Launched in 2011, WorkAdvance goes beyond the previous generation of employment programs by introducing demand-driven skills training and a focus on jobs that have identifiable career…

Strong, ongoing collaboration between business and higher education offers a solution to a growing skill shortage. But to see changes at scale, partnerships must exist within an ecosystem that fosters regular communication, relays industry needs to the academic community, and demonstrates to educators the larger marketplace for those skills. This…

Exploring Summer Youth Employment Programs: Increasing Access Through Career Pathways builds the case and provides actionable recommendations for state-led support in the intentional alignment of summer youth employment programs (SYEP) with career pathways and the work-based learning continuum, including through Career Technical Education (CTE).…

In 2018, BHEF and the Business Roundtable joined forces to create the Workforce Partnership Initiative (WPI). The initiative invited Business Roundtable CEOs to form multi-company partnerships and connect with leaders of postsecondary institutions to meet regional workforce needs. Dozens of CEOs responded, and the JPMorgan Chase Foundation awarded…

In the 20 years since the implementation of the Work Investment Act (WIA), federal funding for adult literacy education has remained largely stagnant, and actually decreased in inflation-adjusted dollars from FY2001-FY2019, despite the fact that the field serves fewer than 5% of those in need. Yet over these two decades, the field has moved away…

For many years, schools in the Bronx have faced challenges related to teacher recruitment and retention, as well as student achievement. In 2017, to address these issues, the New York City Department of Education (NYC DOE) launched the Teacher and School Leaders Bronx Human Capital Initiative (TSL). TSL was designed to help build a "highly…

There are a number of reasons why apprenticeships have been relatively slow to get off the ground in New York--from an overly cumbersome state process for registering new apprenticeship programs to a paucity of employers that have embraced this model, particularly outside of the building trades. But as several other states have shown in recent…

Creating a more equitable economy will require bold action by the city. But the private sector will also need to step up. This study provides a snapshot of six innovative employer-led initiatives to expand access to good jobs--with enormous potential for replication among other companies in New York. [The Gantcher Family Foundation provided…