Monthly Archives: December 2013

Minimum Wage Increase New York

Along with a dozen other states, New York is set to increase the minimum wage on January 1st from $7.25/hr to $8.00/hr (with plans to raise to $9.00/hr by 2015). While national discussion is largely focused on a possible federal increase, on a local level, this increase will have a significant effect on thousands of New Yorkers. Since 2009, the last wage increase for the state, the cost of living in New York has steadily increased: rent stabilized apartments have risen each year, between 2.5 and 8% (depending on 1- or 2-year leases); the cost of a single ride on the subway has increased by $0.50, not counting the steep increases to unlimited cards and the addition of a fee for every new metrocard purchase; and basic grocery items continue to rise. According to the Fiscal Policy Institute, the upcoming wage increases will significantly effect on younger adults with hourly-paid jobs who clock in 20+ hours a week and don’t currently have a college degree. In addition to the overall economic boosts that come from wage increases (people putting that extra money back into the economy by way of spending), we can’t help but think that a portion of the population might use those extra funds towards either valuable skills training or higher education.

Are you one of the thousands that will be effected by this increase? Have you decided where your extra money will go?

Women’s Initiative 2014

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Women’s Initiative provides low-income women with the training and resources they need to start their own businesses. While classes aren’t scheduled at Kingsborough, we still support the hard work of this great organization. My Business Action Plan dates are set for 2014:

  • January 7, 2014 6:00pm at Women’s Initiative NYC
  • January 16, 2014 6:00pm at Brooklyn Business Library
  • January 21, 2014 6:00pm at Women’s Initiative NYC
  • January 30, 2014 6:00pm at Brooklyn Business Library
  • February 4, 2014 6:00pm at Women’s Initiative NYC
  • February 13, 2014 6:00pm at Brooklyn Business Library
  • February 18, 2014 6:00pm at Women’s Initiative NYC
  • February 27, 2014 6:00pm at Brooklyn Business Library

Locations:

  • Women’s Initiative NYC: 22 Corrlandt St, 12th Floor, NYC 10007
  • Brooklyn Public Business & Career Library: 280 Cadman Plaza West, Brooklyn 11201

Check out their website for information about My Business Action Plan and other services from Women’s Initiative.

TASC/GED Updates for New York State

The New York State Board of Education decided on Wednesday that test takers who passed sub-tests of the 2002-2013 GED® can keep those scores and have them count towards the new TASC throughout 2014 and 2015. The Test Assessing Secondary Completion (TASC), created by CTB/McGraw Hill, will replace the GED® as the Common Core-aligned high school equivalency assessment in New York State. This is wonderful news for students who have worked hard to complete certain portions of the GED®, but were unable to complete the full series before the January 2014 deadline.

Facts about the TASC:

  • It can be completed online or pencil/paper
  • Base price of $52 (not including stated-imposed testing fees)
  • Takers receive 2 free re-tests
  • Tests in Reading/Language Arts, Writing, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies
  • Tests in both English and Spanish

Read more about the TASC here 

If you or someone you know is interested in receiving training for the TASC through Project Rise, contact us at 718.368.6600 or ProjectRise@kbcc.cuny.edu. Our next cohort starts in February, so reserve your spot today!

The Shifting Workforce

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Failure to Launch, from the Center on Education and the Workforce at Georgetown University, speaks to many of the issues we talked about in an earlier post regarding the changing atmosphere of the workforce. This report goes further into studying the effects this shift has on educational and labor market institutions. In six parts, this report analyzes long-term labor trends since the 1980s; more recent trends since 2000, the effects of the recessions that dominated that time, and a look at how both younger and older workers have been effected; specific geographic regions at the top and bottom of unemployment markers; social and cultural stereotypes of those who fare the worst during times of unemployment; policy recommendations to fix the lagging workforce structure; and finally, reasons to be hopeful about these overall shifts.

 

CUNY CareerPATH- Green Manufacturing & Industrial Design at City Tech

If you’re interested in finding out more about CUNY CareerPATH programs, attend one of our information sessions. If you want to get started right away, fill out this quick surveyand a CareerPATH staff member will contact you with all the information you need to get your future moving.

**Most programs will be starting up information sessions in January 2014, so please check back then. If you would like to talk with a representative right away, fill out our survey (above) or call one of the programs and someone will get in contact with you soon.

New York City College of Technology (City Tech): 

GAMC–Green Advance Manufacturing Collaborative information sessions: 

Tuesday – February 11, 2014 (4:30 PM – 8:30 PM)
Thursday –  February 20, 2014  (8:30 AM – 12:30 PM)
Tuesday –  February 25, 2014 (4:30 PM – 8:30 PM)

To schedule an appointment and reserve your seat, call: 718-552-1157

To get more information on other CUNY CareerPATH programs visit:  http://cewdkbcc.com/current-programs/cuny-careerpath/information-sessions/

New Year, New GED at Project Rise

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Kingsborough’s Project Rise participants, Brooklyn, NY

Since our November post about the new GED, I met with Project Rise’s Associate Director, Dina LiMandri, to discuss the steps being taken to prepare for the new series of tests. Through meetings at the Young Adult Institute and at CUNY Central, Project Rise instructors have been receiving training to ensure they have the most updated information. Continue reading

DCC & EMT CUNY CareerPATH Winter Info Sessions at BMCC

CUNY CareerPATH : www.cuny.edu/careerpath

For a full list of CUNY CareerPATH’s information sessions, check here.

Borough of Manhattan Community College:
EMT – Emergency Medical Technician program: Info Session, followed by testing. 

12/12/2013 11:00am
12/17/2013 6:00pm
12/19/2013 11:00am
1/7/2014 11:00am & 6:00pm
1/14/2014 11:00am
1/21/2014 11:00am
1/28/2014 11:00am

Continue reading

The Non-Linear Workforce

Gone are the days that a worker stayed with a single company throughout their entire career. Times have changed so much that today, it’s rare to even find workers remaining in a single industry. While just saying this has given many people solace in the unpredictability of their job progression, it’s important to point out the more tangible reasons for this change; some have almost nothing to do with the individual worker.

Continue reading

Nutrition Education

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Tomato harvest KCC Urban Farm, summer 2013

Great news from the USDA. A study on SNAP-Education finds that nutrition education programs can lead to healthier food choices by participants. The study followed programs in 3 US states (Michigan, Iowa and Kentucky) that were designed to increase fruit and vegetable consumption in children and seniors. Two out of the 3 programs showed significant increases of at-home fruit/vegetable consumption and all programs showed greater participation appreciation towards healthier food options. You can read more about this study here

At the KCC Urban Farm in Brooklyn, we encourage not only healthy eating, but also a more holistic understanding of larger food systems. Our demonstrations include side-by-side comparisons of conventional vs. farm-grown fruits/vegetables and a hands-on look at what happens to food we throw away (yay compost!). Kingsborough’s Culinary Arts program even benefits from our ultra-local harvests. We hope to have a Farm-integrated nutrition program on campus in the future, so stay tuned.