Responding to nonprofit workforce needs amidst looming tariffs

As businesses grow more anxious with President Donald Trump’s looming July 8th tariff deadline, workforce development nonprofits are bracing for an unpredictable market for blue-collar jobs. While some providers are being impacted by federal cuts, others like the Brooklyn Workforce Innovations are holding steady – leaning into their 25 years of experience to weather potential hiring contractions. 

What started as a training program connecting public housing residents in Red Hook with commercial driving jobs – the impetus of BWI’s “Red Hook on the road” program which still exists today – the organization has placed nearly 11,000 low-income New Yorkers into lucrative careers in transportation, television, woodworking, construction and more. Built on an early relationship with the New York City Housing Authority, BWI also offers a specialized resident training program that connects public housing residents with jobs at NYCHA. 

With 8 programs ranging between 4-8 weeks, BWI caters to a range of first-time applicants with technical and interpersonal skills needed to thrive in a chosen industry. New York Nonprofit Media spoke to executive director Aaron Shiffman on how the nonprofit aims to maintain its flexible programming and place graduates in jobs amidst the turbulence of ongoing federal cuts and tariffs. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. 

So it seems like you always had a symbiotic relationship with the affordable housing space, with NYCHA now being one of the major employers – was this always your intention? 

It wasn't baked into our DNA, but our commitment to serving some of our most vulnerable neighbors in the city led us to partner with the public housing authority. We felt that if we could insert ourselves as being sort of this skills gap filler, we could give residents in public housing the technical skills and ensure access to jobs in highly unionized careers with great wages and a high level of stability. Many public housing developments across the city are in somewhat geographically isolated communities, where services don't always reach folks where there's untapped talent. Currently, about half of our enrollees reside in public housing. Obviously, the NYCHA resident Training Academy is building career opportunities within the infrastructure of the massive authority. So it's yes and no. 

In a previous op-ed, you stressed that in order for anyone to flourish, their basic needs should be met before they’re ready to work. What does BWI do to make sure those basic needs are met? 

I’ll be clear, the folks we enroll, we assess whether they have the capacity to sustain themselves through training. We do turn people away. We also make sure that they have the basics either covered or will have them covered. We don't have a magic wand for everything, but we do make sure that we're putting someone towards a career that they're positioned to excel in. One of the most critical elements around readiness is childcare. Many folks are less able to participate in our programs because of the lack of quality, affordable, reliable child care. If they need transportation support, interview clothing – we try to cover those costs. We're trying to be as generous as we can, given our limited resources. 

While BWI’s intention is to bridge gaps in skills, a lot of the programming you offer appears to cater to blue collar jobs. Are these always sustainable career paths? 

For bluish and greenish collar jobs, I think it’s our commitment to create easy pathways to work. The BWI model really looks to deliver training curricula that meets a wide set of individuals. We're trying to not exclude people from our programs. We also want to be cognizant that they're having a hard time paying their bills, so our training models are relatively short. For us it's about being on a pathway to gain economic mobility and a career path. For BWI, the work really starts after people graduate. Because our teams are available for two years for career advancement and support. 

How have you been able to steadily place graduates throughout economic downturns? 

We've been around 25 years. We've endured the great recession, Super Storm Sandy. There have been moments when employer demand has been lower. We try to expand and contract our scale of operations based on that. We're helping supply them with talent in a manner that's efficient and clear. I think that alleviates some apprehension from employers if they're hiring a grad of our program whose resume might look a little bit different than other candidates. Our North Star is, what are the employers' needs, and can we deliver it? At this moment, employers are a little anxious. I think some are sort of a few degrees of separation from the impacts of tariffs, and they don't know if they're growing or shrinking. And that is a chaotic moment for a business. 

How are your employers feeling about the tariffs?

We’re not hearing a ton. Employers are not sharing. Because I don't think they know yet in their industries. Many employers are in a wait and see mode, and they're telling us they need to step up, but they're just going to wait. It's really how policies play out over time with hiring. But I think that the New York City economy is doing pretty well overall.

Have you been specifically impacted by any federal policies or cuts to funding that have impacted nonprofits? 

I’m more concerned about some of the proposals that could hurt vulnerable New Yorkers. Like threats of cuts to SNAP benefits, Medicaid, housing vouchers, the safety net, the foundation that supports low income New Yorkers. I am deeply concerned if there are massive cuts that make living conditions worse for all public housing residents. When there's that much chaos going on in a person's life and the world is shifting under your feet, it's hard for anyone to put their best selves forward into a dedicated job search. On the funding question, we've not been directly impacted. 

So it seems like your programs are quite nimble. Do you build your core curriculum based on the skills that your employers are looking for? 

Yes, if we're so rigid, then it doesn't work. We exclude people from training, we alienate employers, or we're not able to meet the employers needs. If we're too set in our ways, things tend to go sideways that are not positive for our employers. 

Would you say that being mindful of scale is the secret to long-term sustainability? 

Our North Star is always the people we serve and never, never getting too obsessed with scale. We've been able to reach a relatively healthy scale, where we're making an impact. I think knowing what you can do and what you can't do is really important. And sometimes that touches on scale, or serving a population that might require a greater level of support. We sometimes turn people away who we don't think we're well positioned to serve. 

So what’s next on the BWI agenda? 

I want to be mindful. Every day, every year's goal, is survival. I'm being very honest, there were moments where I have said that treading water is winning. In our world, if you're helping 900 people gain access to skills training that leads to opportunities – that's huge. We're in the poverty alleviation business. I would love to render myself obsolete and move on. But I don’t think it's going to happen anytime soon, unfortunately.