What's Happening in Yonkers, NY…

A jobs training program that serves young people in Yonkers and other areas of Westchester county recently received a $4m grant from the federal grant to expand its programming and help more people find work.

Under the expanded program, an additional 400 people in Westchester County will be put on the fast track towards finding a job in industries including biotech, information technology, and advanced manufacturing. The program, which is administered by the Westchester-Putnam Workforce Development Board, is aimed at 17 to 29-year-old people.

Job programs can use poster printing to get the word out to unemployed individuals or students who are seeking a job. The Hudson Valley program works with people who currently have jobs and are looking for training to move to the next level, with underemployed people and with the unemployed. Many of the people served by the program have obstacles that keep them from getting the training they need or from finding the jobs they want, such as housing insecurity, the need for childcare, or transportation issues.

Thanks to the additional funding, a number of career centers in the region are starting the process of recruiting new participants. The program kicks off with a six-week boot camp, which includes career mapping, instruction on soft skills, interviewing techniques, and social media skills, and a skills assessment. One-on-one coaching is also part of the program.

Once the boot camp is completed, trainees either move on to an occupational skills training program, or to a program at a local educational institution.