The Democracy at Work Institute (DAWI) is proud to announce Director of Strategic Partnerships Anh-Thu Nguyen has appointed to the New York City Employment and Training Coalition (NYCETC)’s inaugural Workforce Policy Strategy Council. Anh-Thu joins 26 other new members on this inaugural council.
NYCETC, the nation’s largest city-based workforce development association, has over 200 member organizations that annually provide job training and employment services for more than 750,000 people, and works to ensure that every New Yorker has access to the skills, training, and education needed to thrive in the local economy, and that every business is able to maintain a highly-skilled workforce.
The new Workforce Policy Strategy Council within the Coalition will provide additional space for NYCETC members to inform policy recommendations and strategies, and develop a vehicle for more active external policy engagement with key stakeholders.
The Council and its members will be actively involved in NYCETC advocacy, ideation and practice, using their direct service expertise on specific sectors, communities and program models to inform and enact NYCETC priorities and strategy. The goal of the Council is to move innovative ideas and solutions in workforce and economic development forward by empowering practitioners to be active advocates.
In addition to regular meetings, members of the NYCETC Policy Strategy Council members will engage in advocacy activities such as meetings with City leadership such as City Council and the next Mayoral administration, rallies, public hearings, and providing input on media and policy reports.
"I'm excited and honored to be joining the NYC Employment and Training Coalition's inaugural Workforce Policy Strategy Council,” said DAWI’s Director of Strategic Partnerships Anh-Thu Nguyen. “It is an immense opportunity and privilege to learn from leaders in the space, share and develop resources, and inform strategies and policy for equity and inclusion within the workforce sector from the lens of worker-ownership and economic democracy. I am looking forward to contributing to workforce development and inclusion policies that prioritize communities that have been hit hardest by COVID-19, and to play my small role in helping keep NYC a vibrant place with economic opportunity for all."
Since 2014, DAWI has worked alongside fellow cooperative development organizations, technical assistance providers, and lenders to support and expand worker ownership in New York City. Thanks to city council support and the coordinated efforts of supporting organizations, New York City has become home to more worker-owned and operated small businesses than any other city in the U.S. Anh-Thu’s appointment to the NYCETC inaugural Workforce Policy Strategy Council is representative of the city’s continued commitment to worker ownership and DAWI’s role in helping NYC workers access good jobs and business ownership opportunities.
“We are delighted to have this incredible group of people serve on the inaugural Workforce Policy Strategy Council,” said NYCETC CEO Jose Ortiz, Jr. “By using their direct service experience and connection to the communities they support and work with, the members of the Policy Council will be drivers of system-wide advocacy and growth. Their voices and knowledge are critical to creating a talent and worker centric recovery and economy propel.”