In February 2026, the City Council’s Committee on Higher Education and the Committee on Workforce Development held a joint hearing on strengthening workforce development and career pathways for CUNY students—sparked by CUF’s recent report, 5 Ideas for How the Mamdani Administration Can Strengthen Workforce Development.

In her opening remarks, Higher Education Committee Chair Rita Joseph cited the report extensively, reading all five ideas into the record and inviting CUF to provide lead expert testimony. CUF’s editorial and policy director Eli Dvorkin testified at the hearing, outlining steps city leaders can take to strengthen the workforce development ecosystem and better connect CUNY students to well-paying careers.

CUF’s 5 Ideas report, released in February 2026, provides specific, actionable ideas on how government leaders can better utilize the city’s workforce development ecosystem to address the rising cost of living by expanding access to well-paying jobs.

This report builds on years of research and is the latest in a series of publications about strengthening workforce development including, “The Other Side of Affordability” and The High Cost of Free Job Training in NYC.