Formerly Incarcerated Woodworkers Make New WTC Benches

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, in partnership with the non-profit Brooklyn Workforce Innovations (BWI), unveiled 12 new benches outside the Oculus at the World Trade Center. The benches were crafted by eight formerly incarcerated individuals participating in BWI’s Brooklyn Woods program.

WTC Benches Offer a Fresh Start

Newly installed benches outside the World Trade Center Oculus were built by eight participants who took part in a 10-week job training program. The benches were built through a partnership between the non-profit Brooklyn Woods and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to help formerly incarcerated individuals build woodwork and teamwork skills, while adding a prominent new section to their resume.

If you are looking for a job, this program trains you and helps you find one in New York

The Brooklyn Workforce Innovations organization offers training to New Yorkers so they can get a good job. To apply, applicants must have a high school diploma, be New York residents, have a work permit and be able to read English. The program is free and lasts four weeks, in which you will be able to acquire knowledge in different areas for your work performance.

How Hundreds of Production Assistants Got ‘Made in New York’

Delerme-Lugo is one of 1,100 New Yorkers — predominantly people of color — who have graduated from Made in New York, according to a report released this month by Brooklyn Workforce Innovations and Bloomberg Philanthropies.

Katherine Oliver, the former commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment who now works at Bloomberg Philanthropies, said the report was commissioned to get solid data on the program, which has expanded to other cities, including Atlanta and Los Angeles.

Pride At Work

Launched in Fiscal Year 2023, the New York City Council’s Pride at Work initiative partnered with NYCETC members, Brooklyn Workforce Innovations and Nontraditional Employment for Women, to provide supportive spaces for LGBTQIA+ talent to participate in training programs that lead to union jobs. This initiative creates opportunities for LGBTQIA+ workers to earn living wages and have access to long-term benefits. On average, workers represented by labor unions earn 10.2% higher wages and have better benefits than their non-union peers, according to an Economic Policy Institute report.

The ROI of Made in NY and How it Changes Lives

In 2006, the Bloomberg mayoral administration in New York decided to fund a job training program, Made in NY, offering low-income residents the chance to work as production assistants in film and TV. More than 15 years later, former New York City film commissioner Katherine Oliver and alumni from the program gather to measure Made in NY’s powerful long-term impact on their lives and the city at large.