Consortium for Worker Education: Empowering New York City's Workforce

Founded in 1985, the Consortium for Worker Education (CWE) stands as a cornerstone of workforce development in New York City. As a non-profit organization, the CWE oversees a network of over 40 job training and placement providers across the five boroughs, serving as the workforce development arm of the New York City Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO. With a mission to build a robust pipeline of skilled candidates and connect them to stable employment and advancement opportunities, the CWE plays a vital role in shaping the city's economic landscape. The CWE's commitment extends to incumbent members across 36 union locals, providing them with essential training services.

Core Mission and Services

The Consortium for Worker Education (CWE) is dedicated to providing a wide array of workforce preparation, industry-specific training, and employment services to over 70,000 New York City workers annually. This includes union members, New Americans, the under-employed, those entering the workforce for the first time, and dislocated workers.

The CWE serves as the workforce development arm of the New York City Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO, whose affiliated unions represent over 1.2 million workers in the metropolitan region. Partnering with numerous Council affiliates, the CWE union upgrade programs assist the incumbent workforce in maintaining and upgrading their skills and advancing their careers.

Key Programs and Initiatives

The CWE operates a diverse portfolio of programs and initiatives designed to address the evolving needs of New York City's workforce. These include:

Jobs to Build On (JtBO)

The New York City Council-funded Jobs to Build On (JtBO) program is a citywide and neighborhood-based job training and placement partnership committed to performance and accountability. Through a city-wide network of community-based organizations, the CWE provides resources for workforce preparation classes, career training and job placement services with a focus on the residents of low-income communities, New Americans, the under-employed and those entering the workforce for the first time.

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Child Care Facilitated Enrollment Project

The Child Care Facilitated Enrollment Project is a pilot program that was developed to assist working parents to increase access to child care subsidies and quality care in New York City for children up to 13 years of age with qualifying incomes.

Astoria Worker Project

The Astoria Worker Project is a new initiative from CWE to create a worker center to offer a range of social services to the residents of Astoria and Western Queens. It will meld CWE’s proven workforce development programming with forward-thinking services that are responsive to New York City’s evolving economy.

Facilitated Enrollment Scholarship Program

The Facilitated Enrollment Scholarship Program is part of a statewide investment to extend child care support to new families developed by the New York Union Child Care Coalition (NYUCCC) and administered by the Consortium for Worker Education (CWE).

Allied Health Care Training

CWE contracts with organizations who are interested in providing Allied Health Care training in all classification titles to their workforce. Some of the skilled training provided by CWE include CPR/First Aid, Central Sterile Processing and Distribution, Clinical Medical Assistant, Credentialed Alcohol and Substance Abuse Counselor, and Electrocardiogram Technician.

Workers United Education Program

The Workers United Education Program, affiliated with the Consortium for Worker Education, offers FREE ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages), GED preparation in English and Spanish, and computer skills classes to adult learners.

Incumbent Union Worker Training

CWE provides incumbent union worker training for numerous affiliated unions and labor/management cooperatives in varied sectors including healthcare, skilled construction, transportation, hospitality, and civil service. These industry-specific programs allow members to move up in their careers through skills and credential acquisition.

Focus on Key Sectors

CWE's mission is to build a robust pipeline of skilled candidates and connect them to stable employment and advancement opportunities in the construction, industrial, transportation, and building maintenance sectors.

Available Courses

CWE offers a variety of courses, including:

Activities for ESL literacy level students
Basic and Advanced elements of the English language
English foundations to develop communication, reading, and writing
English as a Second Language
Advanced Computers Class: Digital Skills, Word, and Excel overview
Moodle learning management system
GED preparation and college entrance exams
Geriatric care cases
Nurse Aide Competency Examination and Certification Services

Addressing Community Needs

The CWE actively engages with the community through various initiatives:

Partnership with The New School

In May 2021, the CWE partnered with The New School to publish a report on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on workers in the neighborhood of Astoria in the borough of Queens. The consortium found that lockdowns and other pandemic-related economic disruptions resulted in more than 30 percent of workers surveyed for the report to lose their jobs, and that less than 40 percent of those laid off had returned to work. In total, more than 60 percent of survey respondents reported either losing their job, taking a pay cut, or having to work reduced hours.

Youth Jobs Program

In July 2021, New York City authorities announced that they would engage the CWE to provide job training and placement services for inner city young adults in neighborhoods with high rates of gang- and drug-related criminal activity. The training and placement would be part of a city program to provide jobs for approximately 2,400 young adults in an attempt to keep them from becoming involved with organized crime.

Census Outreach

During the summer of 2020, the CWE deployed “census organizers” to encourage city residents to fill out the census. The consortium issued a statement claiming that immigrants and minorities were “often undercounted” and that the organizers would help increase “recognition” for these groups.

Leadership and Financial Overview

Joseph McDermott serves as the executive director of the CWE. In 2019, he had an annual salary of $290,000. The consortium also has two assistant executive directors, Glenda Williams and Beverly O’Donnell, each of whom receives an annual salary of approximately $160,000. In addition, the CWE employs two deputy executive directors: Craig Walker, who oversees administration and finance and has an annual salary of $215,000, and Debora Buxton, who oversees the consortium’s educational initiatives and has an annual salary of $166,000.

In 2019, the CWE received over $24 million in contributions and grants. More than $7.7 million, or nearly one-third of total revenue, went towards staff compensation.

Financial Support

One of the consortium’s job education programs, which provides training for employment in the public and private transportation sector, is funded by the JPMorgan Chase Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the international financial giant of the same name.

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