Full Transparency
Our editorial transparency tool uses blockchain technology to permanently log all changes made to official releases after publication. However, this post is not an official release and therefore not tracked. Visit our learn more for more information.
This is a guest post from Leecia Eve, Verizon vice president for state government affairs for New York, Connecticut and New Jersey, and a member of New York City’s Jobs for New Yorkers Task Force.
There’s no argument that good, sustainable jobs are a cornerstone to a healthy and thriving economy. The New York City administration recognized this, and last spring organized a group of business leaders, education officials, philanthropic organizations, and organized labor to spur job development, training and placement.
At a press conference Nov. 21, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the findings of the task force in a report titled: “Career Pathways: One City Working Together,” and set forth a series of initiatives that will better train New Yorkers for good-paying jobs and invest in the economic success of working families and the city’s economy as a whole.
De Blasio said, “The future of our city cannot be one of hardworking New Yorkers trapped in low wage jobs with no path upward. We need to equip our people and give them a better shot so we can again be a city where hard work and opportunity go hand in hand.”
One of the supporting pillars of job growth – especially with the city’s ever-expanding tech sector – is a reliable, robust and modern communications infrastructure.
Verizon employees build and maintain these networks, and, therefore, a well-trained and professional workforce is critical to the success not only of our company, but to the city overall. That is one of the reasons why Verizon devotes significant resources to ongoing employee training, which includes more than $275 million in learning and development, offering more than 12,000 courses, and more than 8 million hours of training in 2013 alone, equivalent to 45.2 hours per employee. These and other efforts make our employees among the most highly skilled and compensated in the communications industry.
