State launches $1 million program focused on getting local workforce involved in I-81 project

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Thursday announced the launch of “Workforce Forward: Syracuse,” a $1 million initiative spearheaded by the New York State Department of Labor, New York State Department of Transportation (DOT), and other agencies.

It’s a program that seeks to make sure Syracuse–area workers benefit from the Interstate 81 (I-81) viaduct removal and other infrastructure projects in Central New York.

The program seeks to connect workers to training opportunities and “good-paying,” short-term and long-term infrastructure jobs in and around Syracuse, Cuomo’s office said. Working with organized labor and other job-training organizations, the state Labor Department will host job fairs and conduct marketing and outreach to recruit unemployed and underemployed workers for area infrastructure projects.

The “Workforce Forward: Syracuse” initiative will build upon the state’s existing relationships with CNY Works — the local workforce-development board — and other regional training providers, including labor unions, BOCES and local colleges and high schools. BOCES is short for Board of Cooperative Educational Services.

The state Labor Department will also be hiring additional outreach staff and stationing personnel at locations in “neighborhoods of highest need,” including with organizations such as Jubilee Homes and Syracuse Community Connections (the former Southwest Community Center).

Additionally, the state Labor Department — with support from DOT and other partner agencies — will conduct outreach and marketing activities related to regional infrastructure careers.

Beyond the Interstate 81 project, the initiative will also seek to recruit and provide training for workers at other Central New York infrastructure projects, like state DOT highway projects and other municipal projects. For individuals for whom direct infrastructure or construction work is not desired, state Labor Department staff will help connect them to alternative training and career options, Cuomo’s office said.