Building strong career growth and economic stability

New York City Employment and Training Coalition CEO Greg Morris’s first job, about 30 years ago, was signing teens up for the Summer Youth Employment Program, which connects young adults, often from underserved communities, with seasonal jobs. 

“I thought that if I got a kid a summer job, or if I helped to facilitate that summer job, or that if I was there when they graduated after those six weeks, that those young people were on a path to a career,” Morris said. “That was foolish on my part.”

Career development and the road to economic stability, he knows now, is much more complex than getting a young person their first job. There needs to be skills training, networking, education and more. 

This and other aspects of economic and workforce development were discussed at City & State’s “Economic & Workforce Development Summit: Creating & Developing Opportunities for NY’s Economy & Workforce,” held on Thursday at the Museum of Jewish Heritage, sponsored at the platinum level by NYCETC.

The event was emceed by City & State Advisory Board member Larry Scott Blackmon, founder and CEO of government relations firm The Blackmon Organization, who highlighted the event’s sponsors, including TD Bank, KPMG and Berkeley College at the gold tier. 

“Your support is helping us bring leaders together and innovators to shape the future of economic and workforce development in New York,” he said.

New York City Economic Development Corporation President and CEO Andrew Kimball gave the opening keynote address. He outlined the ways that the EDC has helped the city build back from economic crises in a forward-looking way that promotes job growth and a diverse economy.

“The fundamentals of the economy in New York City are strong, and the foundation that EDC has built has positioned us together to not just weather the storm, but to find our bearings and continue sailing toward the next horizon,” he said.

Later in the event, FPWA CEO and executive director Jennifer Jones Austin, an anti-poverty advocate, gave the second keynote speech. 

“I’ve asked my colleagues, ‘Are we in the business of managing poverty or dare we dream of eradicating it, seeking to do good while doing no further harm,” she said. “I’ve interrogated myself: am I a poverty reliever or a liberator? Is charity good enough or must I be a justice warrior?”

Jones Austin made a point of asking, “for what purpose and to what end” is the goal of workforce and economic development. The end goal is not just raising employment and meeting market demands; it’s meeting people’s comprehensive needs, helping them to not just stay afloat but to thrive financially. 

“Economic and workforce development are not simply technical policy issues – they’re matters of justice, morality and humanity,” she said. “Together, we must dare, especially in these times, to challenge false and flawed narratives and assumptions, and commit to centering on what it takes to thrive. If we do, we will help ensure that New York doesn’t just become more affordable, but more secure for every individual and family who lives here.”

Vice President and Local Practice Lead Zachary Markovits from Results for America, an economic mobility nonprofit, touched on how state and local governments can support economic outcomes for individuals.

“Wins are not easy to come by and they often come in spite of, not because of, the systems and processes that our institutions have to ensure that we’re opening up these opportunities to as many New Yorkers as possible,” he said. “Not only do government, business and communities [need to] collaborate, but they need to think about the systems that are in place to fund the services designed to ensure every dollar is invested effectively.”

Four panels were held throughout the summit to delve deeper into various topics within economic development.

In one panel, “Public Investment and Economic Growth in New York,” moderated by business journalist Greg David, New York City Department of Design and Construction Executive Deputy Commissioner Magalie Austin highlighted the Minority- and Women-Owned Business Enterprise program’s ability to grow underrepresented businesses. She noted that $5.5 million has been awarded by DDC to diverse businesses through the program over the last 10 years.

“I’ve always said that our MWBE program is truly economic development,” Austin said.

“MWBEs disproportionately work in underserved communities and they hire people of color, so the transformation is really wide. We also believe that healthy economic development should be geographically diverse, it should happen across all communities within the City of New York.” 

Other sponsors for the event included Brown & Weinraub, Cozen O’Connor, Davidoff Hutcher & Citron, Fordham University, FPWA, Goodwill Industries of Greater New York & Northern New Jersey, Grant Associates, Leadership Alliance, Results for America, Battery Park City Authority, CDW, NYSTEC and the U.S. Army.