BOROUGH OF MANHATTAN COMMUNITY COLLEGE AND THIRTEEN/WNET NEW YORK RECEIVE $2.9 MILLION GRANT TO PROVIDE TECHNOLOGY SKILLS TO DISLOCATED, UNEMPLOYED, AND UNDEREMPLOYED ADULTS
March 19, 2003
Borough of Manhattan Community College and Thirteen/WNET New York have received a grant of almost $2.9 million from the U.S. Department of Labor to provide information technology skills to unemployed and underemployed adults living in New York and to persons who lost their jobs as a result of the attacks on the World Trade Center.
The grant-funded program will train at least 1,000 laid off and underemployed workers and aims to place at least 90 percent of them in highly skilled information technology positions.
Grant aims to train New Yorkers for information technology professions and reduce need for workers from abroad to fill IT jobs
The training aims to provide participants with high technical skills, in an effort to reduce the dependence of foreign professionals in the information technology occupations.
Even in the face of an economic downturn, BMCC and Thirteen have discovered that the New York City labor market continues to need more and more people with information technology skills, in part because New York is home to many knowledge-based industries, and also because many job applicants lack the requisite skills. The grant uses Department of Labor funds to address this shortage by preparing adults, whose employment prospects would be bleak without the training BMCC and Thirteen will provide.
“This grant allows us to grow our own base of highly skilled information technology workers, said Antonio Pérez, president of BMCC. “It’s a fantastic opportunity for people who lost their jobs to train for a different profession and for residents of the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone to receive high level technology training leading to good job opportunities,” Pérez continued.
“Thirteen welcomes this opportunity to partner with BMCC in this initiative to train New Yorkers seeking employment opportunities in the information services,” said Paula Kerger, Thirteen’s station manager. “This effort is part of the station’s commitment to utilizing our technology resources to promote economic development, further extending our service to New York and to our viewers.”
The training program aims to reduce worker shortages in the information technology field, improve performance, promote technology skills, and worker retention.
In addition to persons who lost their jobs, the grant-funded training program will also target older people, disabled people, and residents of low-income housing projects.
Participants will receive a combination of advanced technical skills training with career guidance and counseling that focuses on personal and professional development. The training program will also stress the development of skills that help them succeed in the workforce. The training program modules include Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA), Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP), Oracle Database Design and Engineering, Multimedia Programming and Design (MMP), and Cyber security.
BMCC and Thirteen/WNET will work with the New York City Workforce Investment Board’s one-stop career centers, local businesses, and community-based organizations to identify candidates who lost their jobs as a result of September 11 or who live in the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone and to provide space for the training.
To apply for the information technology training, call 212-220-8350.
