"A model for how we can uplift Black people"

Phipps Neighborhoods' Career Network: Building Services

Three years ago, COVID washed over New York. When the pandemic receded, some communities recovered quickly, while others are further behind than before. Black New Yorkers in particular are facing crisis levels of unemployment after the pandemic. The gap between Black and white unemployment rates is at historic levels, The New York Times recently reported.   

CWE and our partners have long dedicated ourselves to supporting communities facing high levels of unemployment. CWE and the City Council founded the Jobs to Build On program to do just that and, since 2007, the program has placed over 29,300 New Yorkers into careers, targeting communities that need help the most. 

Phipps Neighborhoods, one of the newest Jobs to Build On partners, serves the largely Black and Latino communities of the Bronx and launched a new job training program, Career Network: Building Services, with funding from Jobs to Build On.  

“The resources have allowed us to build our infrastructure, build our staff, and expand our impact in the community,” says Dwayne Brown, Deputy Executive Director of Workforce and Education at Phipps Neighborhoods. 

In its first cohort, 18 local residents were trained in building management. Phipps Neighborhoods partnered with Hostos Community College to provide classroom learning and hands-on training for those enrolled in the five-week program. Students received eight industry-recognized certifications including OSHA 30, Fall Prevention, Drug and Alcohol Awareness, Road Flagger, Mold Awareness, Asbestos Awareness, Lead Awareness, and Green Buildings, to ensure they were job ready immediately after program graduation. Through internships, the participants got on-the-job training and ten have already been hired into building services jobs.

For Phipps Neighborhoods, it is important to place graduates into jobs with advancement opportunities.  

“Our model is about the career, not the job,” says Brown. “It's about getting them in the door. They can start as a porter, but our goal is to get them to superintendent.“ 

The program’s lead employer partner is Phipps Houses, New York’s oldest and largest owner of affordable housing, which is hiring program graduates as porters, maintenance workers, and concierges.  

“This is a career trajectory. What better way is there to build confidence?” says Terri Saucier, Director of Training and Employer Engagement at Phipps Neighborhoods. 

The program is designed with wraparound services to give participants the best chance at success. Each receives a stipend and MTA cards so they can fully commit to the full-time program.  

Graduates are being placed into unionized positions at Phipps Houses, where they are members of SEIU 32BJ. It’s intentional, says Daniel Agosto, Director of Workforce Programs at Phipps Neighborhoods.  

“It took two years to develop this program, and 32BJ was at the table because we needed their insight to make sure it was a robust program. The workers get union benefits and can get their high school diploma and college degree.” 

In addition to the building services program, Phipps Neighborhoods also offers Career Network: Healthcare. The lead employer is Montefiore Medical Center, where workers are members of SEIU 1199. As the original Career Network model track, the Career Network: Healthcare program provides training and hands-on experience for participants to pursue careers in healthcare. Since its inception in 2014, the program has placed 391 graduates into healthcare positions. 

Phipps Neighborhoods is successful because they are trusted in the Bronx, says Agosto. “Our staff come from the same community and can meet participants where they are at.” 

“It’s a model for how we can uplift Black people,” says Brown. “They are getting credentials and exposure to employers who will hire them. We want to expand it. Now we can only serve 15 people per cohort and we’d love to do more.” 

Phipps plans to launch the second cohort of the Career Network: Building Services in September 2023. For more information, contact the Phipps Workforce department at 646-912-2419 or pnbuildingservices@phippsny.org.