By Naeisha Rose
The city’s Small Business Services hit a milestone of serving more than 15,000 veterans and their spouses through its Workforce 1 Career Centers network since the start of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Administration, SBS Commissioner Gregg Bishop announced last week.
The Workforce1 Career Center network uses a service called Priority1 to help job-seeking veterans and their spouses get work, according to Bishop’s Nov. 15 announcement.
“Military service requires a sacrifice unimaginable to many of us and the city is committed to honoring that sacrifice,” Bishop said. “Through services like Priority1, we are working to ensure that veterans and their families can seamlessly transition to civilian life here in New York City.”
Veterans can walk into any of the dozens of Workforce1 Career Centers across the city and receive priority service, according to Catherine Tenuta, a spokeswoman for SBS.
Priority1 Veteran Specialists are located at seven centers throughout the city, including two in Queens. They connect employers committed to hiring veterans, provide information about training, benefits and support services, help to translate military experience into skills for civilian jobs and help military vets connect to additional organizations for resources beyond employment.
Both Queens Priority1 centers are located in Jamaica — one is at 168-25 Jamaica Ave. and the other is located at 168-46 91st Ave. on the second floor.
Priority1 is supported by Robin Hood organization, which has provided $2.1 million in funding to aid veterans to employment by recognizing and leveraging the unique skills veterans bring with them from their military experience, according to SBS.
“We believe that Priority1 has had an enormous impact on NYC’s service members and their spouses while providing local New York City employers with the highest levels of talented staff,” said Suzi Epstein, managing director at Robin Hood. “These leaders and managers are some of our country’s best problem solvers, and NYC’s economy needs them in order to stay dynamic and innovative.”
Reach reporter Naeisha Rose by e-mail at nrose
