Brooklyn's Progress
October 2002

Mission Statement: To promote the growth and development of the Brooklyn economy by providing programs and services that increase the ability of businesses to access and retain a qualified workforce. Additionally, the Division seeks to enhance and improve the workforce development system in NYC by working in partnership with government, educational institutions and community-based organizations responsible for providing employment and training programs. Good Help Program The Good Help program is the Chamber's free employment service for employers seeking to fill both entry-level and skilled positions. Job postings are received from companies outlining the various job qualifications and conditions. These postings are then circulated amongst a network of over 140 community-based organizations, schools and training agencies in an effort to solicit qualified candidates. Candidates that are referred to Good Help are then interviewed and screened based upon the conditions outlined by the employer. If an appropriate match is made, the candidate is then referred on to the company for hiring consideration. Since this program began in the Spring of 1998, Good Help has placed over 550 people in jobs in various companies throughout the borough. If you would like additional information about Good Help, please contact Mike Rosenthal, Director at (718) 875- 1000 x 118. WageWorks The WageWorks program provides wage subsidies and other incentives to qualifying companies that have been negatively affected by the tragedy of September 11th. Companies may receive a 50% wage subsidy that can be used to hire new workers, prevent layoffs of existing workers or rehire workers that may have been previously laid off. The WageWorks program also provides assistance to workers that have been dislocated since 9/11. This program is provided in partnership with the Consortium for Worker Education, and funding has been made available through the U.S. Department of Labor. If you would like additional information about WageWorks, please call Kes Robinson at (718) 875-1000 x 131. Policy Development The Chamber also seeks to have a positive impact on workforce development policy in NYC by working with government and other organizations to promote system-wide improvements. Kenneth Adams, the Chamber President, currently has a seat on the NYC Workforce Investment Board, the governing body under the Workforce Investment Act responsible for implementing a comprehensive workforce development system throughout the city. In addition, the Chamber has been working closely with city agencies like the Department of Employment on such initiatives like the development of a One-Stop Center in Brooklyn. The One-Stop Center will be designed to offer a full menu of workforce related services to both job seekers and business alike. The Chamber has been providing technical assistance to the department regarding the types of business services we believe should be included in Brooklyn's One-Stop. Local Labor Market Information The NYS Department of Labor provides statistical information on the NYC economy and its labor force. The Chamber sees the collection and analysis of such data as essential to carrying out its central mission of helping businesses grow and develop. To that end, the Chamber is seeking to increase its capacity to collect localized data that can be utilized in the effective design of workforce preparation programs. Such information can be utilized by various workforce organizations in an effort to develop industry specific training programs. The Workforce Development Division is currently in the process of designing a comprehensive workforce survey to be distributed to over 30,000 Brooklyn-based businesses. The survey is designed to measure the extent to which businesses access workforce development resources, and measure how those resources may be tied to various economic conditions. This survey is scheduled to be distributed in mid-October and the results should be available in early 2003. Workforce Development Staff Randolph Peers Executive Director (718) 875-1000 X 122 rpeers@brooklynchamber.com Mike Rosenthal Director-Good Help X 118 mrosenthal@brooklynchamer.com Zenobia Marion Asst. Director - Good Help X 114 zmarion@brooklynchamber.com Shuana Wheatt Workforce Development Specialist - Good Help X 129 swheatt@brooklynchamber.com Kes Robinson Workforce Development Specialist - WageWorks X 131 krobinson@brooklynchamber.com Shedrick Sirmon Administrative Asst. X 140 ssirmon@brooklynchamber.com Please remember to visit our Website at www.ibrooklyn.com for event information and updates.