One of the most positively impactful initiatives of Mayor Bill de Blasio benefiting the charedi communities of New York City has been the Mayor’s signature career services program, known as the Workforce Development Program (WDP) and more recently rebranded as JobMap (with a website at https://jobmap.org).
WDP/JobMap was created pursuant to a study authored by renowned community planning and development consultant, Mr. David Rubel. This report documented that approximately 7% of the population targeted by NYC’s Career Pathways initiatives are Orthodox Jews yet less than 1% of the resources generated by Career Pathways was reaching the Orthodox Jewish communities, due to cultural barriers.
Pursuant to extensive discussions with and thanks to the profound sensitivity and caring of Mayor de Blasio and his visionary Department of Social Services Commissioner Steven R. Banks, this pilot demonstration project was created to provide “Job Placement and Employment Services for the Low Income Hard to Engage Communities” of NYC through the utilization of culturally sensitive service delivery modules. WDP/JobMap benefits from ongoing dynamic guidance and support of the Administrator of DSS/Human Resources Administration, Mr. Gary Jenkins.
Operated by Jewish Community Council of Greater Coney Island (JCCGCI), WDP/JobMap established sites in Williamsburg (partnering with UJO of Williamsburg), Borough Park (partnering with Boro Park JCC), Far Rockaway (partnering with JCC of Rockaway Peninsula), Crown Heights (partnering with Crown Heights JCC) and Gravesend (partnering with Sephardic Bikur Holim). WDP/JobMap’s passionate director is Rabbi Yehoshua Werde, who has extensive successful experience in advancing entrepreneurial endeavors in the Orthodox community.
Since the initiation of this program two years ago, over 2,400 individuals residing throughout NYC have benefited from a variety of vital vocational assistance services such as career counseling, resume building and interview coaching, occupational skills courses (featuring in-demand topics as QuickBooks certification, Microsoft Office certification, and Amazon e-commerce skills) and job placement.
JobMap continues to benefit from the ongoing professional guidance of David Rubel and from Virginia Cruickshank, retired Senior Vice President for Workforce Development at FEGS and one of the most respected experts and pioneers in workforce development in NYC.
JobMap is an integral component of JCCGCI’s “Vocational Support Systems” division, which includes additional innovative and highly-successful career services initiatives, such as its citywide, HRA-funded “Internship Placement Services” program which empowers Cash Assistance recipients, citywide, to initiate a career path (with program sites in Manhattan, Brooklyn and the Bronx), its “Parnossah Employment Services Program” (funded by UJA-Federation of New York), its “Crown Heights Career Assessment Program” (funded by a private foundation), its “Crown Heights Career Hub” (funded by UJA-Federation and a private foundation), its Career Pathways program (funded by NYS Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance) and its citywide Adult Literacy program (which has provided ESL instruction in over 40 low-income immigrant communities in all five boroughs of NYC and is funded by NYS Education Department, NYC Department of Youth and Community Development and NYC Council).
And Berri!!!
Nice someone cares enough to help those struggling in our communities! Thank You
Thank you Rabbi Weiner for working diligently and partnering with City and not for profit agencies to secure these invaluable programs for our communities.
Keep up the great work!!