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.

Making sure workers succeed in new jobs

Sometimes, getting training and securing a better job can inadvertently upend other services that working families depend on. Starting an apprenticeship, for instance, could increase a parent’s income beyond the eligibility requirements for their subsidized childcare program, leaving them to scramble for alternate caregivers just as they should be focusing on their new job. New policy solutions are needed to support workers through these transitions so their and the public’s investments in their career can pay off.

NYCHA Residents Discover Their Way on Housing Career Path

The City initiative is facilitated by Brooklyn Workforce Innovations (BWI), in collaboration with NYCHA’s Office of Resident Economic Empowerment and Sustainability (REES), the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), and Enterprise Community Partners. The skills training program aims to connect public housing residents, HPD-affiliated residents, and other low-income New Yorkers with career opportunities in affordable housing development, management, and preservation.

Lawmakers, labor leaders tout funding for LGBTQ employment program

A key goal of the New York City-based program is to place aspiring job seekers in LGBTQ-affirming workplaces and training grounds. The partners involved in the initiative include Brooklyn Workforce Innovations, Destination Tomorrow, the Mount Sinai Health System, Nontraditional Employment for Women, and Pathways 2 Apprenticeship.