New workforce network links residents to waterfront careers

Sunset Park is one of two neighborhoods chosen for New York City’s first Economic Mobility Networks, an initiative intended to connect local residents with jobs in growing industries including the green economy, life sciences and technology.

NYCEDC awarded $1.4 million to the Southwest Brooklyn Industrial Development Corporation to lead the Sunset Park network. A separate $1.4 million award launched a network in Hunts Point. In Sunset Park, SBIDC leads a coalition of seven local organizations focused on expanding workforce opportunities and strengthening a “walk-to-work” model that connects neighborhood residents with nearby employers.

On Tuesday, Sept. 29, at 5:30 p.m., the network will hold a stakeholder briefing at the Sunset Park Library (5108 Fourth Avenue) to present findings and recommendations from a six-month survey of residents, employers and service providers. Organizers say the assessment will guide workforce training and job-placement programs over the next three years.

The network arrives as the city continues to invest in Sunset Park’s industrial waterfront. A waterfront vision plan released in 2009 called for protecting and growing industrial employment, improving the movement of goods, promoting greener practices and balancing neighborhood needs. The Green Economy Action Plan, released by the Adams administration in 2024, projected that New York City’s green economy could grow to nearly 400,000 jobs by 2040.

For some residents, the promise of more jobs is welcome. One Sunset Park job seeker, who asked not to be named, called the news “pretty awesome,” adding, “It makes me feel great [that there’s] more opportunities here for us in the Sunset Park community.”

Other residents wondered how much influence the community will have over what comes next.

Sunset Park resident Julia Rose said that, given the neighborhood’s industrial roots, residents “need more blue collar work than anything.” While she is “glad they’re giving people more work to do [...] to help the community overall,” she questioned how emerging industries will fit the neighborhood’s existing workforce and who will ultimately fill the new positions.

Daniel, a local father who asked to be identified by his first name only, said one of his biggest concerns is representation of Black, Indigenous and other people of color in the growing sectors. He also emphasized the importance of community support as new development takes shape.

“It’s not easy in New York to get a job. There’s a lot of competition going on,” said Ruksana, a Sunset Park resident since 2024 who preferred to be identified by her first name only.

Ruksana said she feels good about the prospect of more jobs but sees the Sept. 29 meeting as a chance for residents to make sure their needs are understood.

“Before we even give jobs, we have to understand what’s going on. We have to see what kind of neighbor we have,” she said.

As the city invests in climate-related and innovation industries along the waterfront, residents are weighing how those changes will shape a neighborhood with a long history of industrial and blue-collar work.

“We have to do this for Brooklyn,” Ruksana said. “You just have to help, cause for me, being human is [helping] somebody.”

The Sept. 29 briefing gives residents an opportunity to review the survey findings, ask questions and respond directly to the organizations developing the network’s next workforce programs.