FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 30, 2022

City of Rochester
News Release

Mayor Malik D. Evans announced today that the City has selected nine partners in the local human-services sector to engage more than 3,000 residents in workforce development programming.

The non-profit agencies will invest a total of $14.5 million from the City’s allocation of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to provide workforce development and entrepreneurship training across a variety of trades and small business sectors, including landscape maintenance, urban agriculture, the culinary and construction trades, health care, and cloud computing.

“History shows that moments of economic transition help some people and hurt others, and Black, Brown and poor people are always among the largest share of those who are hurt,” said Mayor Evans. “These partnerships will harness the creativity of our city’s most determined human-service providers to help our residents overcome systemic challenges so they can successfully navigate these changes to find good paying jobs or start their own businesses. I want to thank the men and women of these agencies for being ‘All in for Rochester’ and collaborating with us to create a hope-filled city with an exciting future.”

The nine agencies all responded to a request for proposals issued in July seeking partners to develop and manage workforce development and entrepreneurship training programs.

The partners and programs are:

Action for a Better Community: $1 million to provide job training and retention support for 210 residents.
The Employment Retention and Incentive Curriculum (ERIC) will be used to facilitate hiring and retention training in high-growth, high-demand employment sectors within the city, including manufacturing, child care and green jobs. The program provides four weeks of full-time training prior to employment, and case managers offer incentives to help remove barriers to employment.

Catholic Charities Family and Community Services: $2.4 million to provide high school equivalency coursework and construction job skills training for 105 residents.
Residents between the ages of 18 to 24 who left high school before earning a diploma and have other employment challenges will receive 22 weeks of high-school equivalency education coupled with training and hands-on experience in the construction trades in partnership with Flower City Habitat for Humanity.

Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO): $1.5 million to provide 375 residents transitional work.
Crews will provide landscaping and groundskeeping services on City-owned property, including litter abatement, removal of illegal dumping, and property support. CEO will provide workforce development services and immediate access to work and daily pay for individuals on parole and recently released from incarceration.

Finger Lakes Performing Provider Systems: $2.4 million to provide health care training for 660 residents.
The Transformational Community Care Coordination project collaborative will train Home Health Aides to start residents on a trajectory to become a CNA, LPN, RN, phlebotomist, respiratory technician, ultra sound technician, or other health care specialty. Case management support and incentives will be offered through partnerships with referring not-for-profit agencies.

Foodlink: $825,000 for culinary and agricultural skills job training for 412 residents.
Establish a Foodlink Fellowship and expand the Workforce Career Empowerment Initiatives to provide training and certification for middle-skilled jobs in the culinary industry. The fellowship is a 12-month program: pre-apprenticeship, apprenticeship and an externship. The program will target low-income individuals who are looking to obtain marketable skills or enhance existing knowledge, in addition to the refugee community and those involved in the criminal justice system.

Pathstone: $3.5 million to provide 830 residents with workforce training and entrepreneurship support services.
The Workforce Development Program will engage individuals looking for employment with an Individual Development Plan that includes workforce readiness training, skills training and job placement assistance. Every person will also receive case management services. Entrepreneurship services will assist small businesses with development services, financial education, marketing, and startup grants.

Taproot Collective: $375,000 to provide 75 teenagers training in urban agriculture.
Participants who are 14 and 15 will learn urban food gardening, harvesting, food security, and seed saving. Taproot will also provide extensive ancillary financial empowerment and workforce development, such as opening bank accounts, workplace communication, resume writing, and interview practice and connections to minority-owned businesses.

Tech Talent: $2 million to provide 160 residents high-tech training on networking.
Participants will earn a Cloud Practitioner Certification, enabling them to work in a sub-field of the information technology industry that supports cloud computing systems. A community manager will create events in Rochester to foster a connection with tech industry employers. Participants will receive stipends, job placement, and job retention bonuses.

The Commissary Incubator: $1 million for 205 food entrepreneurs.
The space to create or expand food ventures and expansion of existing or underground food business with an emphasis on city residents, women, and people of color as they launch or grow their food business.

Legislation to approve the awards is scheduled to go to City Council in November.

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News Media: For more information, contact Communications Director Barbara Pierce at [email protected].

The City of Rochester administration of Mayor Malik D. Evans is committed to promoting positive systemic and structural change by providing transparent and collaborative leadership, offering equitable access to essential municipal services, enabling productive intergovernmental, private, and non-profit partnerships, and promoting increased quality of life through investments that create vibrant neighborhoods and employment opportunities, making Rochester a hope-filled city with an exciting future. For more information, visit http://www.cityofrochester.gov.

Katherine Rogala
585.239.9362
[email protected]