Office of Workforce Development Pub. 5001

Adobe PDF Pub. 5001 (130k) Also available in Spanish.

Mission

In 2000, Governor George E. Pataki invited the New York State Office of Children & Family Services (OCFS) to serve on the State Workforce Investment Board (SWIB), the public/private sector partnership of organizations seeking to respond to New York State's changing employment environment. Inspired by the vision set by the SWIB, OCFS created an office focused on...

Helping youth transition from economic dependency to self-sufficiency.

The Office of Workforce Development (OWD) began its work in 2001, and is driven by the following core beliefs:

• Preparing for self-sufficiency is a developmental process. Youth are not "employable" simply because they turn eighteen. They need work-relevant attitudes and behaviors, as well as the basic academic competencies necessary to attain and maintain employment.
• "Problem-free" is not the same as "fully prepared." To successfully compete in today's marketplace, youth need to be more than well-adjusted- they need to be work-ready.
• Academic education is not enough. Academic achievement is only one of the requisites for workplace success. It needs to be supported by the right skills and attitudes about work. Academic achievement alone is not a ticket to success.
• At-risk youth are in most need of workforce development services. Without these services, at-risk youth are likely to remain dependent on public programs and more likely to engage in criminal activity.
• Lessons learned with at-risk youth inform models for all youth. The vocational needs of at-risk youth are no different from those of youth in the general population; they only differ in their intensity. OCFS workforce development programs, proven successful with at-risk youth, are being replicated in school and community settings.

Leadership In Youth Workforce Development

Advocacy, information-sharing and technical support in...

• Assessment
• Job Readiness Instruction
• Mentoring
• Career Exploration
• Vocational Instruction
• On-the-Job Training (OJT)
• Service Learning
• Entrepreneurship
• Summer Youth Employment
• Job Development and Placement

Goals

Goal 1: To enhance workforce development services for all youth. OWD is available to provide technical assistance in the design and implementation of career education for youth in New York State. OWD reaches out to the full spectrum of service providers, including community-based organizations, schools and community colleges.
Goal 2: To bring new and innovative workforce development services to at-risk youth. At-risk youth must compete for jobs alongside everyone else. Employers cannot be expected to provide special considerations on the basis of a candidate's personal issues or troubled background. OWD designs innovative programs that teach the subtle nuances of workplace behaviors and expectations, and shares these models with voluntary sector agencies, youth bureaus, and local probation and social services departments.
Goal 3: To enhance workforce development services for youth in residential placement. Sometimes youth must be removed from their homes and communities. For this neediest population, OWD designs and implements a broad spectrum of workforce development programs that help them transition to opportunities when they return home.

Activities

OWD develops partnerships with...

• private sector companies to keep our programs consistent with industry standards. The OCFS "partner" list is growing!
• other community-based organizations that seek to introduce or enhance their workforce development services. OWD has assisted youth centers, after-school programs, pregnancy prevention and other programs .
• public sector state and local agencies such as the New York State Department of Labor, the New York State Education Department, the statewide network of One-Stop Centers, local departments of social services, probation departments, and youth bureaus.
• non-state-operated residential centers for court-placed youth, to provide technical assistance in the implementation of program models proven effective in enhancing the workforce development services of youth removed from their homes.

OWD Partners With...

• Private Sector Companies
• Community-Based Organizations
• Public Sector State and Local Agencies
• Non-State-Operated Residential Centers

Contact Information

New York State Office of Children & Family Services
Capital View Office Park
52 Washington Street
Rensselaer, New York 12144

Visit our website at:
www.ocfs.state.ny.us

For child care, foster care and adoption information, call:
1-800-345-KIDS

To report child abuse and neglect, call:
1-800-342-3720

For information on the Abandoned Infant Protection Act, call:
1-866-505-SAFE

For the phone number of your county adult services office, call:
1-800-342-3009 (Press Option 6)

Pub. #1326 (Rev. 11/02)