The High Cost of Free Job Training in NYC: Expanding Childcare, Transit Assistance, and Stipends to Ensure Workforce Training Works for All New Yorkers
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| Title: | The High Cost of Free Job Training in NYC: Expanding Childcare, Transit Assistance, and Stipends to Ensure Workforce Training Works for All New Yorkers |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Melissa Lent, Eli Dvorkin, Center for an Urban Future (CUF) |
| Source: | Center for an Urban Future. 2025. |
| Availability: | Center for an Urban Future. 120 Wall Street 20th Floor, New York, NY 10005. Tel: 212-479-3341; Fax: 212-344-6457; Web site: http://www.nycfuture.org |
| Peer Reviewed: | N |
| Page Count: | 20 |
| Publication Date: | 2025 |
| Document Type: | Reports - Descriptive |
| Education Level: | Adult Education |
| Descriptors: | Job Training, Labor Force Development, Training Allowances, Adult Education, Expenditures, Child Care, Transportation, Grants, Economic Factors, Public Support, Low Income, Barriers |
| Geographic Terms: | New York (New York) |
| Abstract: | To confront New York City's affordability crisis, some leaders have called for major new public benefits, from universal childcare to free buses. But with the city and state facing a highly challenging fiscal environment--made worse by funding cuts and policy changes in Washington--it's far from clear that city officials will be able to fully fund these big-ticket ideas in the near term. Fortunately, there is an interim step city leaders can take to address critical affordability challenges. They should provide these supports where they can have the greatest impact: to New Yorkers seeking upward economic mobility through evidence-based career training programs. More specifically, the next mayor should start on a path to universal child care by making child care free for those enrolled in training programs, and provide free OMNY cards to training participants and students studying at CUNY. Taking these initial steps toward free childcare and transit isn't just more financially feasible as the city and state face fiscal headwinds. Data shows that "wraparound supports" are essential to help low-income New Yorkers complete free job training programs, which many otherwise drop out of due to costs outside the classroom--like child care, transit fares, and other affordability challenges. Indeed, as this report documents, the everyday costs of childcare, subway rides, and groceries make even "free" programs out of reach. As a result, working parents and caregivers in particular end up trapped in low-wage work, unable to afford stepping out of the workforce to complete a multi-month training program--even when tuition is free. The consequences are visible across the city's training landscape. Of the 29 workforce development organizations interviewed for this report, only three provide childcare support to their participants (10 percent), just nine offer weekly stipends (31 percent), and only 10 cover transportation costs for all participants (34 percent). Yet when programs do provide these supports, outcomes improve dramatically. Per Scholas saw an 18 percent jump in graduation rates after offering a $1,000 stipend, while Building Skills recorded a 39 percent increase in completions for participants who received stipends. Training programs interviewed for this report cited example after example of participants who only enrolled or graduated after receiving help with childcare, transportation funds, groceries, equipment, or navigating housing and legal services. New York City is fortunate to have an array of workforce training programs with a proven record of launching low-income New Yorkers into better-paying careers. These and other effective training programs will only become more crucial in the coming years: studies suggest that AI and automation could transform or eliminate at least one-quarter of all jobs by 2030, threatening to displace thousands of New Yorkers in retail, transportation, bookkeeping, customer service, fast food, and beyond. But to ensure more New Yorkers reap the full benefits of these training programs, city leaders should launch or pilot programs that provide free childcare and OMNY cards to training participants, and take other steps to tackle the hidden costs that derail completion. This report outlines eight actionable ideas--ranging from making childcare vouchers available on day one to funding free transit passes through expanded paid street parking-- that city leaders can implement now to boost upward mobility for the long term. [This report was supported by NYC Workforce Funders. It was developed in partnership with the Workforce Professionals Training Institute and New York City Employment and Training Coalition.] |
| Abstractor: | ERIC |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Accession Number: | ED677554 |
| Database: | ERIC |
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