Workforce Skills Development Institute graduates sixth class of students

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On a recent Friday in Melville, the Workforce Skills Development Institute, a program of Island Harvest Food Bank, graduated its sixth class of students.

The institute provides training for eligible people who may be facing unemployment or underemployment, or may be under-skilled, so they can compete in the job market and become more self-sufficient.

“Taking more holistic approaches in addressing the root causes of hunger and food insecurity in our communities is helping to break the bonds of people shackled by economic uncertainty,” Randi Shubin Dresner, president and CEO of Island Harvest, said in a news release about the recent graduating class.

“Giving food to help people who are food insecure is vital but represents a short-term solution to the public health crisis of hunger in America, and we are tackling this issue through innovative programs like our Workforce Skills Development Institute,” she added.

Since its inception in January 2023, 57 students have graduated from the institute, where training focuses on warehousing and inventory control. The average employment rate among graduates is 66%.

“Our work stands at the crossroads of economic prosperity, social equity, and community growth, and it is with this purpose that we approach the training and development of our students,” Maria Arianas, chief workforce development officer of Island Harvest, told the newest class of graduates at the ceremony.

“It has always been our goal that you graduate from this program ready to become a contributing member of our collective society, and I can say with certainty that each and every one of you today is ready to do just that,” Arianas said.

The institute’s curriculum includes training and certifications in technical warehousing and soft skills that support workplace success. Combining job-specific technical proficiency and employability skills, the program allows trainees to earn six credentials upon graduation and emerge equipped with relevant skills ready to offer to a prospective employer.

The program provides stipends for attendance and transportation, and weekly career coaching during training and one-year post-graduation. These services play a role in enabling the completion of the program. This graduating class joins the one before it in achieving 100% completion.

Island Harvest works closely with local business partners to understand the job market and remain current with employment trends and the needs of employers and create connections to employment opportunities. Its list of employer partners has tripled since the program’s inception, according to Island Harvest. The food bank recruits candidates for its Workforce Skills Development Institute from various sources, including the New York State Department of Labor, the Nassau and Suffolk County One-Stop Career Centers, the Departments of Social Services in both counties, local nonprofit human service organizations, and the food banks network of member agencies across Long Island.

Program funders include Bank of America, Suffolk County Department of Labor, the Town of Hempstead, the Town of Oyster Bay, Verizon and the Workforce Development Institute.