EMPLOYERS

A 3-to-1 Recruitment-to-Hire Ratio at the Atlantic Terminal Shopping Center
Long before the first stores and food vendors in the massive 340,000-square-foot Atlantic Terminal Shopping Center opened for business in downtown Brooklyn, programs overseen by the Workforce Investment Board had been helping to staff the center's 30 stores and restaurants with local residents. Through NYC Business Solutions, more than 50 local, community-based organizations and community colleges were recruited to assess, train, and identify qualified jobseekers for employment at the Atlantic Terminal. 

"NYC Business Solutions customized the whole employment process for us," says Patrick Mulholland, Store Manager at the Atlantic Terminal Bath & Body Works. "They saved us weeks of work by doing all the prescreening and training, by accepting applications and checking references. We hired some of our best people through them." Out of the 584 jobseekers referred for interviews at the Atlantic Terminal Shopping Center, 192 were offered positions and 173 accepted - a recruitment-to-hire ratio of 3-to-1.

Interactive Restaurant Training for Dinosaur Bar-B-Que
When John Stage, owner of Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, began working with the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone to find a space for a new Harlem franchise, he was introduced to the resources of the Workforce Investment Board and NYC Business Solutions.

NYC Business Solutions staff met with Mr. Stage well in advance of the restaurant's opening to identify his criteria for employees. Using these guidelines, jobseekers were pre-screened at the Upper Manhattan Workforce1 Career Center, and 180 people were invited to participate in an interactive restaurant training taught by a longtime eatery owner in Harlem. The training consisted of three workshops over three weeks and provided jobseekers with insider tips on the restaurant industry, and hands-on practice of necessary skills like serving, clearing tables, and taking orders. This interactive "virtual restaurant" program gave them the equivalent of on-the-job training.

Once the training was completed, the City arranged for Stage to interview 50 people. He offered jobs to 46 (or 92 percent), and many accepted positions as servers, hostesses, and even a sous chef. On Friday and Saturday nights, Dinosaur Bar-B-Que in Harlem is packed. The restaurant is flourishing, and with the help of the Workforce Investment Board, Mr. Stage has the quality staff he needs to meet the demands of success.

Big Results for the Mandarin Oriental Hotel
The exclusive Mandarin Oriental Hotel in the Time Warner complex at Columbus Circle came to the Department of Small Business Services with a serious job order. The 251-room luxury hotel needed to fill the hotel with appropriately-qualified local residents, including wait staff, sous chefs, floral designers, lead mechanics, and house security officers.

In conjunction with its partner, the New York State Department of Labor, NYC Business Solutions went through a rigorous program sponsored by the Mandarin Oriental to gain a deep understanding of the dynamics of the hospitality industry as well as Mandarin's corporate culture. NYC Business Solutions also collaborated with local elected officials and the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group to bring local, community-based organizations as well as culinary/hospitality schools into the recruitment and candidate vetting process.

The results: 268 of the Hotel's 353 hires (76 percent) were facilitated by the New York City workforce system. Highly qualified candidates found positions in every aspect of the hotel's organization, including management trainee slots. They are night managers, spa facilitators, guest service and reservation sales agents, night cleaning supervisors, room attendants, and numerous employees in various roles throughout its Food and Beverage Department.

JOB SEEKERS

 Belinda Ortiz of Queens
Belinda Ortiz had been a homemaker for 26 years when she decided to reenter the workforce. She had worked as a bookkeeper before she started her family. She came to the Queens Workforce1 Career Center to restart her career. Her career coach assessed her interests, skills, and job opportunities and recommended training to help her become a competitive candidate for jobs in accounting.

“I had the experience but so much has changed and I needed an update. They provided an assessment and suggested I get training in Quickbooks and Peachtree to update my skills,” she said. Belinda received Individual Training Grants to complete Quickbooks and Peachtree software courses.

Now Belinda has a fulfilling job as an accountant for Nuevo Lindo Mexico – Abarrotera, a food distribution company, in Queens. She said, “I like what I am doing and I like the people I work with. This is a good fit.”

Byron Howell of the Bronx
Byron Howell is a Vietnam War veteran, a one-time engineer for Boeing, and a former car salesman. He came to the Bronx Workforce1 Career Center looking for the next challenge. The Workforce1 staff helped him research his choices and find a career path full of opportunity.

“You get to a certain point in your life when you want a career change,” Byron said. “Workforce1 let’s you pick something that’s in demand and with their help, I chose a new career in real estate and researched each course I took. What are the demands for appraisers? What are the demands for loan officers? You figure, the training is hard work, but it’s worth it.”
 
Byron received an Individual Training Grants to complete real estate and home inspector training courses. With the training under his belt, Byron secured a rewarding job with Ameritrust Mortgage Bankers as a real estate mortgage broker.

 Percy Yip of Brooklyn
Percy Yip had been working as a Network Systems Administrator but his company closed in 2007. Percy was out of work but determined to move ahead in his career by building new skills. He went to the Brooklyn Workforce1 Career Center and met with Raymond, a career advisor. Raymond worked with Percy to search for jobs that built on his past experience in information technology (IT). Together, they identified a specialized training opportunity that would help him upgrade his skills to get the job he wanted. 

“I wanted to continue learning because IT is always evolving,” Percy said. “It was exactly what I needed.” 

Percy received an Individual Training Grant to attend Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer training at GT Solutions. He graduated in January 2008 and began working as a Systems Administrator at Stroz Friedberg, LLC. Percy now has a rewarding new job, a higher salary, and an exciting future in IT.

Theresa Morales of LaGuardia
After Theresa Morales was laid off from her job as a secretary with a roofing company, she quickly started searching for a new job but finding one was difficult. So she went to the LaGuardia Workforce1 Career Center, where her career counselor worked closely with her to find the right job for her.

He would call and say, "I have this position open" or "This one matches your skills,’” Theresa said.
Theresa attended workshops to strengthen her interviewing skills and to learn how to research a company before an interview. After the workshops, Theresa said, “I felt more comfortable in interviews. I could ask questions about the company during the interview and show my interest in the work.”

Theresa went to Workforce1 weekly to send resumes to employers. She got a job as a data entry operator with Edison Price Lighting and is looking forward to her promising career with the company.