ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — Governor Kathy Hochul announced Friday the expansion of the New York State Professional Pathways for High-Skilled Immigrants Program to help new Americans find jobs that match their skills and experience.
The program’s expansion will see a total of $4.38 million in state funded grants that will be awarded to community-based providers to support professional training and job placement for an increased number of New York high-skilled immigrants.
These grants will be administered by the Office for New Americans (ONA), Upwardly Global will be funded to continue serving as the Professional Pathways Lead Agency, providing program direction and statewide technical assistance to a network of ONA Job Coaches.
According to Hochul’s statement, the program is tailored for fields that are in need of highly skilled workers across the state, such as education, social work, architecture, and more.
The Professional Pathways partners around the state are:
- Statewide Lead Agency: Upwardly Global
- ONA Job Coach – Brooklyn/Queens: Upwardly Global
- ONA Job Coach – Bronx, Manhattan, Staten Island: Upwardly Global
- ONA Job Coach – Capital Region: U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants
- ONA Job Coach – Central NY: InterFaith Works
- ONA Job Coach – Long Island: Central American Refugee Center (CARECEN)
- ONA Job Coach – Mohawk Valley: The Center
- ONA Job Coach – Western NY: International Institute of Buffalo
The NYS Professional Pathways program was first launched in 2021 to help high-skilled immigrants overcome barriers to professional development through screening, training, or re-credentialing candidates and identifying job placement opportunities for low-income immigrants in high-need regions across the state.
“For generations, the hard work and determination of immigrants who have come to New York to build a better life for themselves and their families has shaped our state into what it is today,” Governor Hochul said. “By expanding the Professional Pathways for High-Skilled Immigrants program, we’re strengthening our support for new Americans in our state and connecting immigrants with the tools they need to enter the workforce and pursue the New York Dream.”
Hochul’s statement says the Professional Pathways program has accepted 282 job seekers into the program as of January 31, 2023, and 88 job seekers had been placed in professional-level programs.
Participants for the program must be work authorized in the United States. For more information about the Professional Pathways program and to apply, click here.
