FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, February 16, 2021

CITY LAUNCHES ADDITIONAL ONLINE TRAINING TO HELP NEW YORK CITY JOB SEEKERS

New York – NYC Department of Small Business Services (SBS) Commissioner Jonnel Doris today announced that additional career paths in the industrial, media, and tech sectors will be featured on Career Discovery NYC, a centralized resource to assist New Yorkers with career exploration and training.

"Building a strong workforce is imperative to our economic recovery. Career Discovery NYC is a prime example of the City's commitment to developing key strategic partnerships that will help connect New Yorkers to better jobs and long-term careers," said J. Phillip Thompson, Deputy Mayor for Strategic Policy Initiatives. "I look forward to the success of Career Discovery NYC as it continues to help job seekers navigate the workforce in a post-COVID-19 world."

"Career Discovery NYC is a great way for New Yorkers to explore their interest in a new career, at no cost to them. If they're excited by what they learn and experience, they can apply to more advanced training that will help them get employed," said Jonnel Doris, Commissioner of the NYC Department of Small Business Services. "We are excited to announce additional careers for New Yorkers to explore and learn as they seek ways to get back into the workforce or make a career change."

The website, which launched in August, provides online, no-cost training programs that prepare New Yorkers with the necessary skills to pursue a pathway for an in-demand career. The website is now expanding to include additional careers for Cable Installers, Commercial Drivers, Data Analysts, and Post-Production personnel. Career Discovery NYC further allows New Yorkers to learn about these careers through information sessions, introductory coursework, and occupational training programs.

Cable Installer
Introductory courses on electricity and electrical work will be provided by Brooklyn Workforce Innovations and its Brooklyn Networks program to qualified participants interested in a Cable Installer career. Qualified New Yorkers will also be able to access the Construction Site Safety Training virtual course. Upon completion participants will obtain their Site Safety Training card, which is required for certain construction industry jobs in the cable installation field.

Commercial Driver
An information session, introductory permit preparation course, and curated practice tests will be provided by Brooklyn Workforce Innovations and its Red Hook on the Road program for individuals pursuing a Commercial Driver career. Upon acquiring the commercial learner permit, participants may apply for a 4-week intensive training program that will provide virtual and behind-the-wheel training to help them pass the DMV's road test for the Commercial Driver's License.

Data Analyst
Individuals interested in pursuing a Data Analyst career can access introductory workshops on Excel, SQL, and Tableau provided by Galvanize. Individuals who qualify will have access to Coursera courses on Excel, probability, and statistical distributions and Codecademy Pro licenses.

Post-Production
An introductory presentation will be provided for individuals interested in a career in media and entertainment. Courses on fundamentals of Graphic Design, VR and 360 Video Production, and Personal Branding will be provided by Coursera for individuals interested in developing skills for Post-Production careers.

Resources for additional careers in construction and healthcare will be added in the weeks to come. Interested individuals can visit the portal at nyc.gov/careerdiscovery to learn more and view eligibility.

"Career Discovery NYC offers more New Yorkers an opportunity to explore careers in our world-class creative economy," said the Commissioner of the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment, Anne del Castillo. "Through the ‘Made in NY' Post Production Training Program and our other talent development programs, we have helped almost a thousand New Yorkers secure jobs in the media and entertainment industry."

"At Galvanize we are always looking for high impact opportunities to partner with NYC SBS in providing introductory workshops in Data Literacy through Career Discovery," said Bill Cummings, Executive Vice President at Galvanize. "The genius of these Data Literacy workshops is showing how interested New Yorkers can take a journey to explore, discover, prepare, and train for new careers in Data creating a true New York tech-talent pipeline."

"Given the urgent need for training during this inequitable unemployment crisis, BWI is proud to partner with SBS on this initiative," said Aaron Shiffman, Executive Director at Brooklyn Workforce Innovations. "Career Discovery NYC is an important effort to build more roads to skills training and career-path jobs."

About Brooklyn Workforce Innovations
Brooklyn Workforce Innovations (BWI) is a nonprofit workforce development organization that has been launching careers for low-income, unemployed New Yorkers since 2000. Jobseekers come to BWI earning average annual wages of less than $8,000, and a short time later, graduates earn annual wages averaging $38,000. BWI accomplishes this through a set of five- to seven-week, award-winning skills training programs that lead to careers in thriving local industries including commercial driving, cable installation, and film and television production and post-production.

About Galvanize
Galvanize is a learning community for technology with eight physical campuses across the U.S. where innovative startups, aspiring students, and large enterprises benefit from a dynamic, unique technology ecosystem. Galvanize is an industry leader in technology education, offering the Data Science and Hack Reactor Software Engineering immersive boot camps that propel careers and help individuals thrive in the digital economy. In addition to its physical campuses, Galvanize offers full-time and part-time immersive boot camps to individuals remotely, and tailored workforce training to enterprise clients to address each of their unique needs. With 8,000+ graduates, Galvanize alumni have gone on to bring their talents to over 2,250 companies. Galvanize is a subsidiary of Stride (NYSE: LRN), a premier provider of innovative, high-quality online and blended education solutions, curriculum, and programs to students, schools, and enterprises in primary, secondary and post-secondary settings. Learn more at galvanize.com.

About Coursera
Coursera was founded by Daphne Koller and Andrew Ng with a vision of providing life-transforming learning experiences to anyone, anywhere. It is now a leading online learning platform for higher education, where 76 million learners from around the world come to learn skills of the future. More than 200 of the world's top universities and industry educators partner with Coursera to offer courses, Specializations, projects, certificates, and degree programs. 2,400 companies trust the company's enterprise platform Coursera for Business to transform their talent. Coursera for Government equips government employees and citizens with in-demand skills to build a competitive workforce. Coursera for Campus empowers any university to offer high-quality, job-relevant online education to students, alumni, faculty, and staff. Coursera is backed by leading investors that include Kleiner Perkins, New Enterprise Associates, Learn Capital, and SEEK Group.

About Codecademy
Since 2011, Codecademy has empowered over 45 million people in 190 countries to unlock their personal and professional potential through coding. To date, Codecademy has raised $42.5 million to make its vision of providing an accessible, flexible, and engaging online education a reality. Codecademy makes it easy for users to start learning instantly with free lessons. Codecademy Pro, a $20-$40/month paid membership with over 100,000 subscribers, allows users to access Codecademy's complete library of content. It also unlocks additional features, like Skill Paths and Career Paths that guide a user through multiple courses until they reach a long-term goal. The company, which is headquartered in NYC, is backed by top-tier investors like Naspers, Union Square Ventures, Kleiner Perkins, Index Ventures, and Y Combinator. Codecademy has also partnered with governments like The White House, the UK, Brazil, Argentina, and others, and has worked with companies like Google and Amazon to create curriculum. Learn more at codecademy.com.

About the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment
The mission of the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment (MOME) is to ensure New York City continues to be the creative capital of the world by supporting film, television, theater, music, publishing, advertising, and digital content and ensuring those industries work for New Yorkers. The creative industries account for more than 300,000 local jobs and have an economic impact of $104 billion annually. MOME comprises four divisions: The Office of Film, Theatre, and Broadcasting; NYC Media; the Office of Nightlife; and educational and workforce development initiatives.

About the NYC Department of Small Business Services (SBS)
SBS helps unlock economic potential and create economic security for all New Yorkers by connecting New Yorkers to good jobs, creating stronger businesses, and building vibrant neighborhoods across the five boroughs. For more information on all SBS services, go to nyc.gov/sbs, call 311, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.