“I saw opportunities – you could grow in housing, from the bottom all the way to the top. So I said, Let me try this out.”
The application process begins by calling NYCHA REES at 718-289-8100 to be scheduled for the Test of Adult Basic Education (TABE). After testing, applicants complete a pre-screening interview with NYCHA, followed by an information session at NYCHA REES. We conduct interviews and must drug screen all applicants.
• Authorized NYCHA residents (on the lease)
• Able to pass a drug test before, during and after training
• 18 years of age or older
• Have valid working documentation
• Must pass the Test for Adult Basic Education
• Able to lift 50 lbs. or more
• Perform 8 hours of physical work each day
• Must be 100% available during the work week for full-time training
Training is Monday – Friday from 7:45 AM to 4:00 PM, for a total of 4.5 weeks.
The NYCHA Resident Training Academy helps hundreds of men and women each year – all residents of public housing – launch well-paying, upwardly-mobile careers with NYCHA. We mostly prepare our participants for the Caretaker J position. Caretaker J’s are members of NYCHA’s janitorial and grounds keeping staff.
Caretaker J’s perform day-to-day cleaning tasks in buildings and the surrounding grounds. Typical tasks include:
• Washing floors, stair halls and walls
• Cleaning elevator cabs
• Replacing lightbulbs
• Polishing metal fixtures
• Removing bulk debris
• Conducting safety inspections
• Servicing trash compactors
• Shoveling snow and removing ice
• Raking or sweeping grounds around buildings
Caretaker J’s are paid a competitive wage and offered a full benefits package and union membership.
The hiring process includes an interview, submission of documents including – but not limited to – valid state identification, original social security card, fingerprinting and drug testing. One of the ways BWI supports our trainees is by preparing them for this process and helping them collect required documents when necessary.