Brooklyn Workforce Innovations (BWI) is a non-profit organization that provides skilled training and job placement in growing New York City industries. We are currently the home of eight programs:

• Brooklyn Networks: Low-voltage cable installation jobs in the tech sector
• Brooklyn Woods: Woodworking and fabrication jobs
• Customized Training Opportunities: Customized training for a range of careers working with your hands
• KindWork Customer Experience Fellowship: Customer support roles in the tech sector
• “Made in NY” Production Assistant Training Program: A starting point toward a career in New York City’s exciting film and television production industry
• “Made in NY” Post Production Training Program: Connecting Production Assistants to film and TV Post Production training and jobs
• New York Drives: Pre-training for those interested in other BWI programs, provides soft skills training and access to a NYS driver’s license
• NYCHA Resident Training Academy: Custodial jobs with NYCHA for current residents of public housing
• Red Hook on the Road: CDL training and access to jobs as bus and truck drivers

For most programs, no. The application process for Red Hook on the Road, our CDL training program, starts with a phone call with one of our program staff.  The NYCHA Resident Training Academy application process begins by scheduling a Test for Adult Basic Education, better known as a TABE test, with a phone call to NYCHA REES.

For all of our other programs, simply check our information session calendar, find out when the program you’re interested in is holding an orientation, and be sure to be on time. (No latecomers will be allowed in.) You are always welcome to call and ask questions before an information session, too.

Applying to a BWI program will require gathering some documentation. The paperwork specifically required varies depending on the program. However, if you are applying to one of the programs that have open information sessions, all you need to bring is yourself and an ID. We’ll let you know at the information session what documents you’ll need to apply.

If you are applying to Red Hook on the Road, please call ahead and follow the directions provided by a RHOR staff member. For those interested in the NYCHA Resident Training Academy, you will be given all of the information you need to succeed in the program after you schedule a TABE test.

Please visit our Contact Us page for addresses and links to maps for each of our Information Session locations (BWI’s programs hold information sessions in different locations). You can also find details about our Information Sessions on the Calendar. Still lost? Feel free to call the number listed on the webpage for the program you’re interested in.

BWI’s skills training programs are always free for our participants. This is thanks to individual donors as well as corporate and foundation funders who believe our award-winning training programs truly benefit New Yorkers. BWI also receives funding through several government contracts.

Unfortunately, no.* We want you to find the right career path before applying and therefore, we ask that you learn about the different programs we offer and apply to whichever program seems like the best fit for you. Your path should be something you see yourself doing for some years. Please remember that applying to a program does not in any way guarantee enrollment.

*New York Drives is one exception. New York Drives is BWI’s training program that offers job readiness training like resume building and interview skills, and also helps people gain access to a NYS driver’s license. It is open to anyone who wants to apply to Brooklyn Woods, Brooklyn Networks, or “Made in NY” Production Assistant Training Program but still needs their driver’s license.

BWI will reach you by phone or by email, depending on what you selected as your preferred method of contact. If you provided an email address, please check both your regular inbox and your spam or junk mail folders. Quite often, email from BWI staff members goes straight to junk mail. Please feel free to add our email address to your address book or to your list of “safe senders” to prevent this from happening.

If you indicated that you can be reached via telephone, please check your voicemail. BWI staff will always leave a voice message on your phone (if the option is available) with our name, phone number and key details for your next step.

You should contact the BWI staff person who you have been in touch with the most. You can also go to our contact page to find the right person.

Our programs consider many applicants – sometimes hundreds – for each training cycle. Unfortunately, BWI staff is not available to give specific details regarding declined applications to any applicant. Please feel free to check with the program to see if or when there is an opportunity to reapply in the future.

Employment is not guaranteed, but BWI staff are committed to helping you find a job. Between your motivation and cooperation during the placement process, and BWI’s long-standing connections with employers,  it’s very likely that you will find work in your new field quickly. BWI staff will work hard to help you get your first job placement and will support you for at least two years after you’ve graduated.

At BWI, we look for applicants who meet the basic requirements of the program they’re applying to and also show other important signs of being good professionals. Applicants who are respectful to everyone they meet in our offices and respond to emails/phone calls within 24 hours leave a positive impression with us. Also, if you share as much information as possible about your background and what you’d like to achieve after training during the application process, it will help us (and you) determine if we’re really a good fit for your ambitions.