Page 9 - 2020 Annual Impact Report

COVID-19: Adversity but Innovation and Resiliency Nonetheless
When the New York State On Pause was implemented in March 2020 we received numerous requests from a a a a a a variety of companies unions and other organizations for emergency support from our small grants program We heard firsthand how these entities were coping What emerged was incredible innovation resiliency and quick action 2020 ANNUAL IMPACT REPORT 8
Looking back at WDI grants issued from March through early July most activity was related to to the immediate and urgent response to to COVID-19 During this timeframe the vast majority of of of grants a a a a a a a a total of of of 39 were made where a a a a a a a a a a key component of of of the the justification by the the applicant was to address COVID-19-related issues both challenges and opportunities An overview of of the the types of of grant awards made includes the the following:
•
•
there are jobs available in this field We also supported new digital literacy training (via this same provider) that allowed people to to learn basic skills to to search for jobs and apply online —A few companies needed help formulating recovery plans Our interest in in in in these projects was to ensure that staff were retained In healthcare we helped 1199SEIU respond to the the the rapid increase in in demand on on on the the the union across the the the state via roll out of of training around proper use of of PPE In manufacturing we supported the the Buffalo Niagara Manufacturing Manufacturing Alliance and the the Manufacturing Manufacturing Association of of Central NY with development of of a a a a a a a training program that incorporates a a a a a a a COVID-19-type response plan plan into a a a a a a a a a broader risk-management plan plan This training has since launched and 16 companies in in in in multiple upstate regions have benefited from it In education we supported a a a a a research project at at at SUNY Albany that uses the principles of personnel psychology to develop a a a a a a a standardized approach for screening hiring and and training contact tracers We are hopeful that the lessons learned from this period will leave
us us better prepared to face the future Moving forward our focus will be on putting New Yorkers back to work work We anticipate that our work work will continue to to to be predominantly in in in the more resilient sectors sectors but hope to to to to to get back to to to to to other sectors sectors (including retail tourism/hospitality local government) as as soon as as possible To that end Futures Skills Exchange (FSX) a a a a a a a training search platform we had begun development on in in in in 2019 was deemed “ready to launch” in in the the the first quarter of of 2020 just as as the the the pandemic caught hold of of of the the the nation Development of of FSX was begun pre-COVID-19 during a a a a a tight labor market to to strengthen understanding of and and and access to to training and and and credentials for both job seekers and and and employers Ironically there is is an an even greater need for for this type of of platform now in the midst of of of COVID-19 when larger numbers of of unemployed need to to reskill to to find employment •
•
•
•
Manufacturers pivoting to produce Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) which also gave them the the ability to retain staff staff and in in some cases grow staff staff Organizations looking for help in in in in in implementing social distancing measures in in in in in in order to retain staff and/or continue training initiatives Companies seeing opportunities for for workforce growth Transportation and logistics is is is an an an example where this occurred Organizations seeking help with planning for either recovery or or expansions Examples:
—We supported development of an an an expansion plan for for a a a a a a successful coding program Information Technology (IT) is a a a a a a field that can be performed remotely and •