We are excited to announce that on August 11th, 25+ CEOs from leading New York City companies came together to launch the New York Jobs CEO Council. The New York Jobs CEO Council absorbed the HERE to HERE Business Council and CareerWise New York became an independent 501c3 nonprofit organization affiliated with the Council.
These changes are the fruition of an enormous amount of work by HERE to HERE and our partners over the past two years to establish and incubate the Business Council as well as CareerWise New York. Launching ambitious and far-reaching initiatives–that can transform the way we think and what we do about work, learning, and talent development–is one of the reasons why HERE to HERE exists.
The New York Jobs CEO Council is collaborating with education institutions, community partners, and nonprofit organizations to train and hire skilled workers throughout New York—with a focus on Black, Latinx, and Asian communities.
The Council is led by Dr. Gail Mellow, who previously served as President of LaGuardia Community College. Barbara Chang is the executive director of CareerWise New York, and the current CareerWise New York team has moved to the newly established 501c3.
These organizations will continue to align closely with HERE to HERE’s mission to enhance paths to rewarding careers for young people. Our student interns and apprentices are motivated by doing ‘work that matters’ in a real-world setting and as part of a team. For them, this is the ideal way to acquire critical workplace skills and begin building a network. For NYC employers, it is critically important for their future success to tap the incredible talent that attends NYC DOE and CUNY schools.
Employers are usually pleasantly surprised by how quickly interns and apprentices learn on the job and how much they are able to contribute from day one, which is one of the reasons we are excited about the work of the New York Jobs CEO Council. The council is bringing opportunities for work-based learning to many more students. It’s a great investment in New York’s future and economic recovery and promises to be life-changing for the students we work with in The Bronx and throughout the city.
“Our collective recovery from the impacts of COVID-19 depends on breaking down systemic barriers that silence the ambitions of young people—especially of Black and Brown students. We need new, inclusive opportunities for learning that embrace career success and create skilled professionals—like those being championed by the New York Jobs CEO Council. How we rebuild our systems of education and employment determines our shared future.”
– Abby Jo Sigal, HERE to HERE Founding CEO.
HERE to HERE’s vision is a thriving, inclusive economy, in The Bronx and elsewhere, driven by meaningful partnerships between young people and employers. It takes financial resources, trusted relationships, and a shared strategic perspective to redefine the education and employment systems that unfairly burden Bronx and NYC Black and Brown students as they pursue their professional ambitions and choice-filled lives. As the current crises underscore, the systemic challenges are often interrelated, and there are limits to what any single person or single organization can do alone. The HERE to HERE team is excited to partner with the New York Jobs CEO Council and CareerWise New York as we collectively scale employer engagement, expand the availability of apprenticeships, and together reimagine youth talent development in The Bronx and New York City.
