Reports

Transitioning to a 21st Century Energy System

Governor Cuomo’s recent State of the State for 2020 included plans to continue along a path toward the use of cleaner energy sources.  We applaud this push and the vision that has been outlined.  At the same time, we know that this vision must include careful planning around impacts to jobs and communities.

“Transitioning to a 21st Century Energy System” was co-authored by WDI, the IBEW, and Cornell ILR to outline what a “just transition” means to IBEW’s workforce.  The paper notes that there have been shortcomings in past programs that aimed to support transitioning workers, and makes recommendations for holding workers and communities unharmed as New York embarks on its goal to a cleaner environment for all of its residents.

“A Just Transition is achieved when dislocated workers and host communities are left unharmed by the closure of a power plant.”  The principles or values of a Just Transition include:

  • No economic harm to workers or communities
  • Create jobs that have family sustaining wages and benefits
  • Incorporate local economic development
  • Authentic job training for jobs in good paying fields that will be in the community in which the displaced workers live
  • Knowledge sharing
  • Labor standards and collective bargaining
  • Social dialogue
  • A sector approach customized to regions
  • An equity framework where all of society equally shares the benefits and burdens

Read the full report here.

 

Long Island Manufacturing Report

Long Island is home to approximately 3,000 manufacturers employing over 70,000 people with an annual payroll in excess of $5 billion. Businesses in this sector engage in research and development, design, production, and testing for industries that have the highest global quality, precision, and security standards. In an effort to better understand this important regional industry and identify ways to support it, the Long Island Legislative Manufacturing Task Force empowered WDI to carry out the work of researching and compiling this report. WDI compiled and analyzed information from a variety of economic and workforce data sources, gathered ground-level intelligence through dozens of interviews with company leaders and regional partners, and looked beyond our region for comparisons and practical lessons that we could apply here on Long island. We consider this report the latest contribution to an on-going regional dialogue and part of our work in support of New York State's manufacturing workforce. In the spirit of that dialogue, we welcome feedback and questions about this report and any other contributions that fortify Long Island’s manufacturing sector and its workforce.

Read the full report here.

 

Driving Long Island’s Innovation Economy: The Pharmaceutical/Nutraceutical Growth Factor

The purpose of this report is to raise awareness of the Pharmaceutical/Nutraceutical industry’s significance, its history, its potential, and its needs among both the industry’s businesses and Long Island’s regional partners. In addition, this report is also intended to raise awareness among Long Island’s general public about the quality job opportunities and meaningful economic impact Pharmaceutical/ Nutraceutical manufacturers have on Long Island.

 

The Suffolk County Industrial Development Agency (SCIDA) and Suffolk County Executive Steven Bellone convened a roundtable of industry executives in March 2016 to hear first-hand about the opportunities and challenges for this sector on Long Island. While quality of life; world-class educational institutions; proximity to New York City; and a strong, legacy manufacturing workforce all ranked high as regional assets for the industry, one of the recurring themes of the meeting was the trouble that industry executives faced in attracting and retaining qualified workers.

SCIDA knew it would need to gather in-depth, first-hand information from Long Island’s Pharmaceutical/Nutraceutical manufacturers. Gathering this type of information requires workforce expertise, extensive regional contacts, and an entrepreneurial spirit. SCIDA reached out to the Long Island Regional Office of the Workforce Development Institute (WDI) to get familiar with Long Island’s Pharmaceutical/Nutraceutical companies first-hand and gain meaningful, practical ground-level information to position SCIDA and WDI to provide the support the sector needs. 

Learn about the findings in this report.

 

New York State and the Jobs of Offshore Wind Energy

This report explores the skills and occupations required to take an offshore wind power plant from an idea through development and construction to spinning turbines generating electricity. In this report, you will find: 1) an overview of the industry and technology; 2) a description of the skills and occupations in the industry; 3) an analysis of New York’s workforce, the skills and occupations already in New York and the existing workforce gaps; 4) potential training programs for New York’s workforce to capitalize on this emerging industry and 5) a detailed case study of the only currently operating offshore wind power plant in the United States. 

Download this report here. To request printed copies of this report, contact WDI at 518-272-3500

 

 

New York State Logging & Forest Economy- Workforce Development Programs

The forest economy is a vital part of New York State’s industrial identity. New Yorkers have been logging and producing forest-born products for centuries. New York’s forest economy employs tens of thousands of people and generates billions of dollars in output every year.

What is harvested in New York’s 19 million acres of forest is processed downstream into an impressive array of products. Companies that consume New York’s forest harvest can be found in every region of the state as well as outside our borders. WDI has worked closely with its partners in the New York State Senate, Empire State Forest Products Association, industry employers, and academia to put in place innovative, practical workforce development programs for incumbent workers and those in the pipeline. 

WDI is pleased to share this report, which provides an update on WDI’s forest economy programs. We welcome questions and feedback that help advance understanding of this important industry and its workforce dynamics.