De Blasio announces commitments to strengthen City’s Tech workforce

February 13, 2015 Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Mayor Bill de Blasio speaks during his presentation of the city's fiscal year 2016 preliminary budget at City Hall on Monday. AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews, Pool

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Mayor Bill de Blasio on Friday announced 14 initial industry commitments to support the delivery of technology education, training and job opportunities to thousands of New Yorkers as part of the Administration’s NYC Tech Talent Pipeline initiative. Announced by the mayor in May 2014, the NYC Tech Talent Pipeline is a first-of-its-kind, $10 million public-private partnership designed to support the growth of the city’s tech ecosystem and prepare New Yorkers for 21st century jobs.

More than 20 industry partners, including members of the Advisory Board, have already responded to the administration’s call to deliver quality jobs for New Yorkers and quality talent for the city’s rapidly growing tech ecosystem. The Administration has been working closely with industry partners for several months to develop many of these programs and other resource commitments, which include tech skills training programs, scholarships, critical research and funding support. The city will link key resources to these and future NYC Tech Talent Pipeline programming as additional programs and investments are unveiled.

“We have a responsibility to ensure all New Yorkers have equal access to the technology education, training and job opportunities that are essential in the 21st century economy,” said de Blasio. “We see real opportunities to deliver for our businesses and our people, and today have come together with leaders across all sectors to realize this vision.”

Councilmember Robert E. Cornegy Jr. (D-36, Brooklyn), praised the initiative. “There are thousands of New Yorkers who have the potential to move from being tech consumers to being creators and technicians in technology jobs,” said Cornegy. “For too many frustrating years, they’ve stood with their noses pressed to the glass, watching others benefit from the tech sector without a way to gain the experience or access to participate themselves. This pipeline initiative can be their way in.”

In support of the NYC Tech Talent Pipeline’s mission, LinkedIn, in partnership with the city of New York, concurrently published data highlighting the top technology jobs and in-demand skills in New York City. This data will inform NYC Tech Talent Pipeline efforts and empower educators, community-based organizations and policy makers to close the gap between unfilled technology jobs and qualified homegrown talent. The data reveals that one in every five NYC businesses employs technology talent, with the majority of NYC technology jobs located in the technology, financial services, marketing and advertising and media and entertainment sectors. User interface design and web and mobile development rank highest among the “in-demand” skills sought by employers, with nearly 13,000 NYC firms currently employing or hiring talent with these critical skills.