Carrie Fallhaber (Jobs First NYC) on Green Economy Network and recommendations

Good afternoon, chairs and members of committees on workforce development and economic development.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify today on the implementation of the Green Economy Action Plan.

My name is Carrie Fallhaber.

I'm the Senior Vice President of Jobs First NYC.

Jobs First NYC creates and advances solutions that strengthen education and workforce systems and expand economic opportunity.

We work alongside hundreds of partners across all five boroughs.

Through our Green Economy Network, more than 200 nonprofit workforce organizations, employers, city agencies, and educational institutions and intermediaries have collaborated since 2019 to prepare New Yorkers for careers in the green economy.

Since 2023 alone, the network has trained more than 7,000 New Yorkers for green jobs.

The Green Economy Action Plan presents an incredible opportunity with a projected 400,000 green jobs by 2040, but those jobs will not exist simply because they are projected.

They will exist only if the city treats workforce development as core infrastructure by aligning public investment, education, workforce strategy, and industry.

To realize this vision, we offer three recommendations on top of recommendations that we put out earlier this year.

First, establish a workforce authority within City Hall with the authority to align agencies, coordinate workforce strategy, and embed workforce outcomes into climate procurement and capital investments.

Second, strengthen coordination between schools, workforce providers, and industry so education, training, and work-based learning are aligned with the skills needed to meet current and emerging labor market demand.

Third, make industry a full partner in implementing the Green Economy Action Plan.

Employers create demand, define emerging skill needs, and determine whether the city's workforce investments translate into jobs.

Industry partners can validate emerging occupations, anticipate hiring needs, and keep workforce investments aligned with real market demand.

The Green Economy Action Plan isn't economic strategy as much as it is a climate strategy.

Success will be measured not by plans written or programs launched, but by whether New Yorkers are hired into quality careers.

With stronger coordination, clear accountability, and sustained industry partnership, New York City can build the workforce needed to power a greener economy while expanding access to family-sustaining careers.

Thank you.