Following  in the footsteps of her electrician father, Betsy Ritch-Reed began an apprenticeship with the Independent Electrical Contractors (IEC) in the early 1980s. As part of her on-the- job training, she assisted on specialized projects for the military in a pre-fabrication shop at Fort Benning, Georgia. After completing the Independent Electrical Contractors apprenticeship program, she worked as a licensed electrician for 11 years. In 1996, she took over her father's business, Ritch Electric Co. Inc., in Columbus, Georgia. Today she oversees more than two dozen employees.

Her 22-year-old grandson, Blaine Reed, has also followed in the family footsteps and has nearly finished the four-year IEC apprenticeship. The program involves paid on-the-job training under the supervision of an IEC contractor, as well as 576 hours of classroom instruction on topics such as residential wiring,  electrical theory, how to interpret the National Electrical Code, and grounding and electrical design.  Upon completion,  graduates are certified as an electrician by the IEC and can apply their trade throughout the country. 

The outlook for electricians is bright, acccording to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which projects the occupation will grow nine percent between 2016 and 2026. The IEC estimates there is a shortage of nearly 100,000 electrical workers across the country.  You can learn about how to become an electrician via the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook.

To learn more about how electrical apprenticeships have launched careers for three generations of this Georgia family, read Generations of Apprenticeship Power Career Success, a Department of Labor blog post written by Eric R. Lucero, deputy director in the department's Office of Public Affairs in Atlanta, Georgia.

Employment Programs

Bronx 2018 Job Fair: Thursday, May 3, 2018, 11:00 AM-3:00 PM, at Bronx County Public Administration Building, 851 Grand Concourse, 1st floor (Rotunda). This event is sponsored by the Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation & New York State Department of Labor. Meet with 25 businesses, hundreds of job opportunities available.  Candidates are strongly encouraged to pre-register online: www.labor.ny.gov/Bronx2018jobfair.

Special Recruitment for NYC CoolRoofs Entry Level Construction Laborers. This is a City Initiative that supports local job seekers through a paid and transitional work-based learning experience to cool New  York City rooftops with a white, reflective coating that reduces building energy consumption and citywide greenhouse gas emissions. Participants work in teams to complete cool roof installations for individual buildings, perform the physical labor involved with coating a rooftop, and receive skill-building and professional development training and support to identify and advance along a career path. For more information, please e-mail Oneka Andrews at oandrews@grantassociatesinc.com and include "CoolRoofs" in the subject line; or, visit the Bronx Workforce 1 Industrial and Transportation Career Center at 90 Lincoln Avenue, 3rd floor, Bronx, NY 10451. 

Friends of the High Line's Internship Program is a paid 14-week program that offers interns the opportunity to kick start their career within their dream profession, while receiving work readiness and career planning services at the Park in the Sky. Apply now.

NYC Building Violation Jobs Available: Building Violation Professionals will be trained and paid $10 per hour, with the possibility to grow and help expedite correction and remediation of building violations, for residential and commercial buildings. You can register here or email info@buildingviolation.com for job requirements and qualifications. For more information, contact Building Violation LLC, 2000 Ocean Avenue, Suite 1-D, Brooklyn, NY 11230, at (866) 545-4440.

Get paid to take care of an elderly or disabled family member. Qualify Family Care will pay you $15 an hour to help care for your Medicaid-eligible family members, friends, or neighbors. No certification or background check is required. For more information, call 718-475-4735.

Platform by Per Scholas trains local talent using custom curriculum designed by Cognizant Technology Solutions, to ensure students are equipped with the tech skills they need to get hired by the Fortune 500 company. Over the course of eight to 12 weeks, Platform classes, Quality Engineering, and Application Support Management will introduce students to advanced computational thinking, business competencies, programming languages, and related topics necessary to fill IT positions at Cognizant. All eligible graduates will have the opportunity to interview with Cognizant. Classes begin monthly. Apply now. 

LaGuardia Community College is recruiting for its next TechHire-Open Code class, which starts in May 2018. Students learn programming fundamentals, product development, and web development, to prepare for jobs as front-end web developers. Training will take place at LaGuardia and in General Assembly's Web Development Immersive program. To see if you are eligible, and begin the application process, apply here now.

The Cooper Union Retraining Program for Immigrant Engineers at CAMBA assists underemployed or unemployed immigrant engineers and IT professionals in gaining access to higher-paying  jobs through training and job placement assistance. The program includes night and weekend courses in information technology and chemical, mechanical, electrical, and civil engineering, taught by Cooper Union faculty and field experts. Since its inception in 1987, the Retraining Program for Immigrant Engineers has placed 3,000 immigrant engineers into careers.

NYC Career Center Events and Recruiting

Overcoming Invisible Barriers Workshop: Monday, April 23, 2018, 12:30 PM-2:30 PM, at Flushing  Workforce 1 Career Center, 138 60 Barclay Avenue, 2nd floor, Flushing, NY 11355. Identify and reduce barriers to your job finding (ex. age, lack of goal).

Recruiting Event - Ronald McDonald House: Tuesday, April 24, 2018, 10 AM-2 PM, for Family Support Associate (five openings), House Manager (five openings), Operations Associate / Van Driver (five openings) at NYC Workforce 1 Career Center, 215 West 125th Street, 6th floor, New York, NY 10027. 

Brooklyn Mini Job Fair: Wednesday, April 25, 2018, 10 AM-1 PM at Brooklyn Workforce 1 Career Center, 250 Schermerhorn Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201.  Participating  businesses:  Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens, Flatbush Development Corporation, Greenpoint YMCA of Greater New York, MTA NYC Transit, SCO Family Services. Must bring at least six (6) copies of your resume and a photo I.D., and be prepared for an interview.

Benefits of Exploring Job Zone Workshop: Wednesday, April 25, 2018, 2:15 PM-4:15 PM at Bronx Workforce 1 Career Center, 400 East Fordham Road, 8th floor, Bronx, NY 10458. Participants will learn and explore how to use Job Zone, an interactive resource to help manage their careers. Two slots available. Must call for appointment, (718) 960-7901.

Recruiting Event - Sid Wainer & Son: Thursday, April 26, 2018, 11 AM-2 PM for Produce Delivery Driver (five openings) at Bronx Workforce 1 Career Center, 400 E. Fordham Road, Bronx, NY 10458. Make an appointment by sending an e-mail to alberto.venture@labor.ny.gov. When attending the recruitment event, bring a recent abstract from NYS DMV, a valid Driver's License (Class D), and an up-to date resume.

Spanish Speaking Resume Writing Workshop: Thursday, April 26, 2018, 12:30 PM-2:30 PM at Flushing  Workforce 1 Career Center, 138-60 Barclay Avenue, 2nd floor, Flushing, NY 11355. Organize, revise, and update your resume.

Acing the Interview Workshop: Thursday, April 26, 2018, 2 PM-4:30 PM at Bronx Workforce 1 Career Center, 400 East Fordham Road, 8th floor, Bronx, NY 11458. This workshop will help job seekers prepare for inerviews, demonstrate how to conduct oneself during the interview, and review the follow-up required to get a job. (Duration: two-and-a-half hours).

Individual Resume Review/Career Advisement Workshop: Friday, April 27, 2018, 9 AM-11 AM at Bronx Workforce 1 Career Center, 400 East Fordham Road, 8th floor, Bronx, NY 10458.

 

Job Postings and Assistance

Job Postings at New York City Workforce 1.

Apprenticeship Opportunities in New York City.

Available jobs via Brooklyn Community Board 14.

The New York City Employment and Training Coalition (NYCE&TC) is an association of 200 community-based organizations, educational institutions, and labor unions that annually provide job training and employment services to over 750,000 New Yorkers, including welfare recipients, unemployed workers, low-wage workers, at-risk youth, the formerly incarcerated, immigrants and the mentally and physically disabled. View NYCE&TC Job Listings.

Digital NYC is the official online hub of the New York City startup and technology ecosystem, bringing together every company, startup, investor, event, job, class, blog, video, workplace, accelerator, incubator, resource, and organization in the five boroughs. Search jobs by category on this site.

St. Nicks Alliance Workforce Development provides free job training and educational programs in Environmental Response and Remediation Tec (ERRT), Commercial Driver's License, Pest Control Technician Training (PCT), Employment Search, Prep Training and Job Placement, Earn Benefits, and Career Path Center. For information and assistance, please visit St. Nicks Alliance Workforce Development or call 718-302-2057 ext. 202.

Brooklyn Workforce Innovations helps jobless and working poor New Yorkers establish careers in sectors that offer good wages and opportunities for advancement. Currently, BWI offers free job training programs in four industries: commercial driving, telecommunications cable installation, TV and film production, and skilled woodworking.

CMP (formerly Chinatown Manpower Project) in lower Manhattan is now recruiting for free training in Quickbooks, Basic Accounting, and Excel. This training is open to anyone receiving food stamps but no cash assistance. Classes run for eight weeks, followed by one-on-one meetings with a job developer.

CMP also provides Free Home Health Aide Training for bilingual English/Cantonese speakers receiving food stamps but no cash assistance. Training runs Mondays through Fridays for six weeks, and includes test prep and the HHA certification exam. Students learn about direct care techniques such as taking vital signs, and assisting with personal hygiene and nutrition.

For more information on the above CMP training programs, email info@cmpny.org, call 212-571-1690, or visit the CMP website. CMP also provides tuition-based healthcare and business training free to students who are entitled to ACCESS funding.

Nontraditional Employment for Women (NEW) trains women, and places them in careers in the skilled construction, utility, and maintenance trades. It helps women achieve economic independence and a secure future. For information call 212-627-6252, or register online.

Grace Institute provides tuition-free, practical job training in a supportive learning community for underserved New York area women of all ages, and from many different backgrounds. For information, call 212-832-7605.
 

Please note that this page will be revised when more recruitment events for the week of April 22 become available.