NEW YORK, NY, June 26, 2026 — The New York City Employment and Training Coalition (NYCETC) testified today before the New York City Council Committee on Workforce Development and Committee on Economic Development at a joint oversight hearing on implementing New York City’s Green Economy Action Plan. NYCETC urged the City to treat workforce development as core climate and economic infrastructure, emphasizing that the City’s climate ambitions can only become reality if New York invests in the workforce needed to deliver them.
“New York City’s Green Economy Action Plan is ultimately a workforce plan, whether we name it that way or not,” said Gregory J. Morris, CEO of the New York City Employment and Training Coalition. “Every building retrofit, clean energy project, and climate resilience investment depends on people with the skills to do the work. If we want the City’s climate goals to succeed, workforce development cannot sit downstream from implementation. It has to be built into the strategy from the beginning because climate policy doesn’t implement itself.”
“The green economy will only reach its potential if we stop treating workforce development as an obligation and start offering it as a solution,” said Angela Son, Founder and CEO of The Green Launchpad. “When employers and workforce providers work as partners, that coordination becomes a competitive advantage for New York City.”
“We urge the City to ensure that the next chapter of the Green Economy Action Plan is implemented through the City’s existing industrial infrastructure: the businesses that make, mend, move, and maintain New York,” said Miquela Craytor, Senior Advisor, Southwest Brooklyn Industrial Development Corporation. “When the city invests in trusted intermediaries, small businesses and local workers can access emerging green economy opportunities.”
The hearing examined the City’s readiness to meet the labor demands of a changing economy. NYCETC’s testimony highlighted the need for stronger coordination among City agencies, employers, labor, educators, and community-based workforce organizations to ensure that green career pathways are aligned with real hiring demand and accessible to New Yorkers across the five boroughs.
The implementation challenge is clear: climate policy will only be as strong as the workforce system behind it. City agencies must be central to that effort, both as deliverers of climate solutions and as gateways into climate-critical careers. At the same time, employers in clean energy and adjacent sectors need reliable talent pipelines, workforce providers need sustained investment to train and support workers, and New Yorkers need clear on-ramps into family-sustaining careers.
NYCETC’s recent Affordable Climate Economy report provides a framework for that coordination. The report finds that building a demand-driven climate workforce is essential to advancing climate progress, affordability, and stronger public service delivery. It underscores that green jobs are not a narrow category of future work, but part of a broader economic transition that touches every industry.
NYCETC urged councilmembers to ensure implementation of the Green Economy Action Plan pairs sustained workforce investment with:
- stronger employer engagement
- better coordination across agencies
- expanded earn-and-learn models
- Green Economy Career Navigators
- clearer measures of success
Those measures should look beyond program enrollment to whether New Yorkers secure jobs, earn wages that support a life in New York City, remain employed, and advance over time.
NYCETC pushed the Council and Administration to create stronger accountability measures for implementation, including annual progress reporting, clearer hiring targets, priority occupations, and a standing Green Economy Workforce Implementation Working Group. Such a body would bring together employers, labor, workforce providers, educational institutions, City agencies, utilities, philanthropy, and community partners to ensure the City’s green workforce strategy evolves in step with industry needs.
As the City moves from planning to implementation, NYCETC will continue working with the Council, City agencies, employers, labor, education partners, and its more than 220 member organizations to ensure that the clean energy workforce reflects the full talent and diversity of New York City.
About the New York City Employment and Training Coalition
The New York City Employment and Training Coalition is the largest city-based workforce development association in the country, supporting more than 220 member organizations that serve over 200,000 New Yorkers annually. NYCETC advances policies, partnerships, and investments that expand economic opportunity and strengthen New York City’s economy. Working at the intersection of workforce development, education, business, labor, and economic development, NYCETC and its members connect New Yorkers, especially those from historically marginalized communities, to quality jobs, career pathways, and the supports needed to succeed.
Media Contact: Patrick McCabe, Patrick@hayesinitiative.com, (631) 747-7906