Senator Martins & Senator Amedore Announce Task Force on Workforce Development to Hold Public Forum on May 13th

     Senator Jack M. Martins (R-7th Senate District) and Senator George Amedore (R-46th Senate District), Co-Chairs of the Senate’s Task Force on Workforce Development, announced that the Task Force will hold a public forum this Wednesday, May 13th at noon in the State Legislative Office Building in Albany (Hearing Room A). The hearing will examine ways to bridge the employment gap and help connect people with in-demand jobs. 

     “We want to help ensure that every New Yorker who wants a job has access to one. Developing initiatives that expand opportunities for people to be trained for in-demand jobs benefits workers, employers, and our economy as a whole. Through this forum, we will receive input from stakeholders about the best ways to do that,” said Senator Martins.

     “In order to truly improve our economic climate in the state of New York, we must develop solutions to help bridge the gap between businesses that are looking to locate or expand here, and potential workers who need to be trained with the necessary skills to compete in today’s changing economy. These forums are a valuable tool to help us gather input to address those issues,” said Senator Amedore. 

     Experts from workforce groups, labor and business organizations, government agencies, and higher education institutions have been invited to offer testimony addressing the following issues:

     · The state of the New York economy and sectors of the economy that need trained, skilled workers, today and in the future;

     · The proper way to address the crisis of dislocated workers and how to reinsert them into the workforce;

     · Developing a better process to connect people who are willing to be trained with the open jobs that are available.

     Members of the public are welcome to attend and view the forum, as well as submit written testimony. Oral testimony is by invitation only.