On Tuesday, March 29th, Mayor Eric Adams announced a new vocational training and apprenticeship program that will provide professional opportunities to youth, ages 16 to 24, in foster care. The Administration for Children’s Services’ (ACS) new V-CRED program will support youth in their education, career and personal development, and is being created in partnership with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, The City University of New York (CUNY) and private sector employers.
As part of the program, youth will participate in training for professional certification through courses offered by Kingsborough Community College (KCC), participate in paid internships/apprenticeships and have opportunities for employment with the employer hosting the internship. V-CRED will focus on five career pathways: 1) Information Technology, 2) Electrician’s Helper, 3) Allied Health (e.g. Certified Nursing Assistants, EKG Technician), 4) Pharmacy Technicians and 5) Building Trades.
Speaking at the KCC campus, Mayor Adams said, “If we don’t educate, we incarcerate, which is why one of my most important jobs is advocating for our youth who have been in foster care or had contact with the juvenile justice system. This new V-CRED vocational training and apprenticeship program is going to help our young people prepare for good jobs and a bright future.”
“Increasing the accessibility of these training programs is pivotal in this time where there is a growing demand for talent. It is important for us to work towards closing the opportunity gap in New York City, which we know requires us to truly prepare students for careers that can help them to become more self-sufficient,” said Dr. Simone Rodriguez, vice president of workforce development and continuing education and strategic partnerships at KCC.
V-CRED will begin as a two-year pilot program, serving 90 young people in foster care, 45 youth per year. The program has three core components, which include training for professional certification, paid internships and job placement.
Partnerships for training in the industry-focused areas have been developed with Common Point Queens (Pre-HSE/HSE classes), KCC (Pharmacy Tech and EMT classes) and Metro Placements to ensure youth have access to the specific industry training they desire.
“Too often, youth raised in care experience difficulties in attaining self-sufficiency and financial stability,” said State Senator Roxanne Persaud, chair, Committee on Social Services. “Foster youth have earned this new opportunity to learn and grow while starting a new career pathway.”
Courtesy of Mayor Eric Adams’ Office