Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce Re-Launches Good Help Job Placement Initiative
Program Helps Businesses Find, Hire & Retain Qualified Workers
(Brooklyn, NY) Today, the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce announced the re-launch of the Chamber’s Good Help job placement initiative. Those in attendance included Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, members of the Brooklyn delegation of the New York State Senate, Assembly, and the New York City Council, as well as local businesses that have benefited from Good Help’s services.
Good Help’s mission is to help Brooklyn businesses find, hire and retain qualified workers. Through a comprehensive suite of no-cost services, Good Help both finds jobs for Brooklyn residents and saves businesses valuable time and resources in the search for qualified candidates. The Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce proudly offers these services at no cost to all Brooklyn businesses.
Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce Chairman Peter Meyer said, “Today is an incredible day for the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce. With continued support from the Brooklyn Delegations of the New York State Assembly and the New York City Council, we are thrilled to re-launch the Good Help program. As the voice of the Brooklyn business community, the Chamber has always been devoted to assisting Brooklyn businesses in finding qualified candidates for employment, and matching Brooklynites with suitable employment opportunities. As Brooklyn evolves into a global business leader, the Chamber looks forward to working with businesses in fulfilling their employment needs.”
Good Help provides businesses with access to a wide-ranging and diverse labor pool through one central point of access. The Chamber acts as a unique workforce intermediary by brokering relationships between businesses and job training and community groups throughout the borough. In this broker role, the Chamber manages a trusted relationship with each business by providing upfront consulting to understand their needs, and then communicates the job openings to the workforce development field.
Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz said, “The re-launch of the Good Help program is a real ‘win-win’ for Brooklynites needing jobs and for the businesses looking to hire them. Good Help provides a centralized system for employers to find the best and the brightest to fill hundreds of positions at a time when jobs are so desperately needed—and best of all, it’s free. They say it’s hard to find good help these days, but bravo to the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce and the Good Help initiative for making it a lot easier.”
Prospective candidates are received through network partners including non-profits, employment and training agencies, proprietary schools, colleges, NYC public programs, community and faith based organizations, elected officials, etc. Candidates are carefully screened to determine their qualifications and only the individuals matching the specific job description are referred to the business for consideration. There are more than 200 organizations within the Chamber’s partner network that refer jobseekers for openings at Brooklyn businesses.
NYS Assemblyman and head of the Brooklyn Assembly Delegation Joe Lentol said, “I know I speak for my colleagues in the Brooklyn Assembly delegation and throughout the Borough when I say how wonderful it is to see Good Help back up and running again. The program’s ability to match Brooklyn job seekers with Brooklyn businesses in need of qualified employees will no doubt have a positive impact on our local economy, and we are proud to help support this valuable initiative.”
NYC Councilman and Finance Chair Domenic M. Recchia Jr. said, “Good Help is a whip-smart, business-driven initiative that gets Brookylnites working. On behalf of my colleagues at the City Council, I am proud to support this program for it provides the essential financial tools to ensure that the economic ecology of New York City is rife with opportunity now and in the years to come.”
From 1998 until the program was suspended in 2010, more than 900 businesses worked with the Chamber to staff, access tax credits, or consult on HR issues. Nearly 1,500 placements were made, and an estimated 10,000 jobseekers were screened for jobs.
In just over two months since the program’s re-launch, Good Help has received an overwhelming response from the community, partnering with more than 20 businesses on nearly 50 job openings. Kenneth Conn of GEM Pawnbrokers was on hand to speak about his success working with the Chamber’s Good Help Program to find and hire 15-20 new employees in the past two months.