Since inception, The Westchester Community Foundation has operated as an affiliate of The New York Community Trust.
As part of our centennial celebrations, we are creating a single, unified organization to more powerfully advocate for our region with one voice.
We will still maintain our physical offices in Westchester with the same dedicated staff who will continue to honor and build upon our relationships with local nonprofits and communities.
You can now find us at: https://www.thenytrust.org/westchester/
The Westchester Index is at westchesterindex.org.
The New York Community Trust. For Westchester. Forever.
Download this story and the full 2022 Fall Newsletter here.
Sharon Sewell-Fairman is executive director of the Workforce Professionals Training Institute.
Delivering effective workforce programs that position disadvantaged young adults for lifelong self-sufficiency is challenging. Programs need to offer effective instruction to clients and engage employers to keep training relevant and generate job placement opportunities.
The Workforce Professionals Training Institute (WPTI) has trained workforce development practitioners and organizational consultants since 2004. The program’s goal is to provide pathways out of poverty through job training and other employment and career opportunities.
With Foundation support in 2021, WPTI engaged 37 workforce development professionals with a customized curriculum for peer learning and collaboration. The 10 days of training over 10 months emphasized core principles of youth development, the use of data to improve results, and understanding client trauma. With a second grant in 2022, WPTI will provide additional training to the professionals to develop stronger strategies for employer engagement.
Describing the program, WPTI Executive Director Sharon Sewell-Fairman said, “We have been inspired by the enthusiasm and commitment of Westchester’s workforce development providers and look forward to strengthening our work. We are confident that this will improve employment outcomes for young adults and other job seekers in Westchester.”
