Brooklyn Navy Yard Reports Record Job Growth

In Fiscal Year 2018, the Brooklyn Navy Yard connected more than 450 people to jobs, the most in its employment center's 19-year history, according to a new report released on Wednesday. 

The analysis shows that of the 459 hires, 84 percents are Brooklyn residents and 33 percent are from the Navy Yard's nearest five surrounding zip codes, emphasizing the Albert C. Wiltshire Employment Center's mission to support economic development in the surrounding community.

"As a mission-driven nonprofit, our employment center serves a critical role in connecting local residents to quality jobs at the Yard," said David Ehrenberg, president and CEO of the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation (BNYDC). "We're incredibly proud not simply of these latest numbers but of the range of workers — both in terms of skill set and education level — that we were able to connect with our tenants over the past year."

Established in 1999, the Albert C. Wiltshire Employment Center offers hiring and support staff services at no cost to BNYDC tenants. Funded through the Robin Hood Foundation, the center focuses on providing opportunities to the chronically un- and under-employed, veterans, public housing residents, the formerly incarcerated and less-skilled workers.

In FY 2018, the report states, 34 percent of the new hires are NYCHA residents; 46 percent have only a high school diploma or GED; 13 percent do not have a high school diploma or GED, and 14 percent have experience in the criminal justice system. 

"Searching for a job can be really challenging, but the Navy Yard's employment center made finding a good job so much easier," said Alejandro Vidal, a shipping/ receiving clerk at IceStone, a glass manufacturer. "The center was able to match my qualifications with IceStone, and my job there has been a perfect fit now for more than a year."

In addition to offering recruitment services, the BNYDC also funds a summer internship program to provide exposure to potential careers for local students. This year, the internship program served over 100 young people. Of this total, 92 percent attended college in Brooklyn, 75 percent were Brooklyn residents and 57 percent were CUNY students. 

The program saw 32 percent of interns placed in the engineering sector, 18 percent in media and communications and the remaining 50 percent placed in fields ranging from business and finance, hospitality and culinary, fine arts and other STEM-related areas.