As part of our series of conversations with members of the WPTI team regarding their career development and areas of expertise, we are pleased to share reflections from an interview with Yanni Deconescu, WPTI’s Director of Project Management, who joined WPTI in Fall 2020 and who brings years of experience in workforce development, project management, and leading teams and projects across multiple industries.

WPTI is pleased to announce the launch of the 2021-22 cohort of the Workforce Systems Leadership Program (WSLP), the third cohort of WPTI’s signature leadership development program, operated in partnership with Coro New York. WSLP recruits a diverse group of emerging senior leaders and change makers from across the field, representing government, community-based organizations, secondary and post-secondary educational institutions, and the private sector.

The COVID downturn set off alarm bells among job developers.  WPTI responded with a BELL of its own.

With the support of the Pinkerton Foundation, WPTI launched the first cohort of the Business Engagement Learning Lab (BELL) in April 2021.  Successor to WPTI’s longstanding Job Developer Learning Group, the four-month BELL initiative sharpened the focus on employer engagement at a time of significantly heightened competition for jobs.

We are pleased to share the first article in a series of reflections from members of the WPTI team on workforce development policy and practice, their specific areas of expertise, and lessons learned throughout their careers.

In recognition of WPTI’s commitment to improving workplace mental health, the NYC Mayor’s Office of Community Mental Health (formerly known as ThriveNYC) and its Thrive in Your Workplace initiative have named WPTI a Workplace Mental Health Champion for 2021. The award recognizes WPTI as part of “a cadre of industry leaders who actively fight the stigma of mental health, support employee mental health, and promote access to mental healthcare.

WPTI is pleased to announce the 2021-22 cohort for our Workforce Systems Leadership Program (WSLP), WPTI’s signature leadership development program for emerging senior leaders across New York City’s workforce development system. Operated in partnership with Coro New York, WSLP recruits a diverse group of leaders and change makers from across the field, representing government, community-based organizations, secondary and post-secondary educational institutions, and the private sector.

In January and February 2020, Workforce Professionals Training Institute (WPTI) – in partnership with the Labor Market Information Service (LMIS) at CUNY – conducted a survey of 362 New York City frontline workforce development professionals – defined as those individuals providing jobseeker/client-facing services at programs and organizations focused on providing job training and placement, along with supportive wraparound services.

WPTI kicked off the first of four sessions of its Business Engagement Learning Lab (BELL) on Tuesday, May 11th.  This year’s diverse cohort includes 33 practitioners from 11 organizations across New York City that serve a wide variety of job seekers.

In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic arrived in New York City and left an economic crisis in its wake, which will impact our economy and the labor market for at least the next five years. The economic devastation impacted numerous industries in a range of ways.

2020 was a year like no other for New York City’s job developers.  In less than 12 months, thousands of businesses slashed payrolls.  Long-time employers shuttered their doors permanently.  Unemployment soared from historic low to historic high overnight.