Commentary/Op-Ed - July 2013
Building the American WorkforceEmployers need more workers with middle skills qualifications, but the supply of applicants with more than a high school diploma and less than a bachelor’s degree doesn't match the demand. In a Council on Foreign Relations report, CUF senior fellow Tom Hilliard argues that policymakers can narrow this gap by overhauling the national workforce development system.
Commentary/Op-Ed - June 2013
Op-ed: New York would benefit by raising graduation ratesIn June 2013, The Buffalo News published an op-ed by our senior fellow Tom Hilliard about the need to increase community college graduation rates in New York.
Commentary/Op-Ed - June 2013
Making New York’s Human Capital System More AccountableGovernor Cuomo ought to sign a new bill that would give workforce development providers and community colleges across the state access to a treasure trove of information to make their programs more accountable and effective.
Commentary/Op-Ed - May 2013
8 Ways to Grow New York’s Design SectorLaunching a citywide design festival is a big first step, but there is more the city can do to harness New York’s competitive advantage in design.
Commentary/Op-Ed - February 2013
Foster Youth and the Workforce: Next StepsRoughly half of the young people who have aged out of NYC’s foster care system aren’t working, but this policy brief outlines a handful of achievable recommendations for putting foster youth on the path to careers and productive lives.
Commentary/Op-Ed - February 2013
Time to Revamp NYC’s Workforce Development SystemNYC’s next mayor will inherit a workforce development system in far better shape than when Mayor Bloomberg took office, but it’s now time to go beyond simply placing New Yorkers into jobs and build the skills of the local workforce.
Commentary/Op-Ed - July 2012
GED® change will be costly for N.Y.In July 2012, the Albany Times Union published an op-ed by our senior fellow Tom Hilliard which notes that beginning in 2014 the GED® exam will cost twice as much to take and be significantly more difficult to pass, changes that will almost certainly lead to significantly fewer New Yorkers getting their GED® credential. Already, New York is 49th out of 50 states in the GED® pass rates. In the op-ed, Tom urges New York State education officials and legislators to explore alternatives to the GED® test.
Commentary/Op-Ed - March 2011
NY Borough to Borough Commute? Fuhgeddaboudit!New Geography published an article by David Giles last week on the dramatic increase in commuters going to outer borough jobs. The piece argues that the city and state's biggest transit investments have been too focused on Manhattan despite the fact that a majority of new jobs over the last ten years have come from outer borough employers.
Commentary/Op-Ed - March 2011
Council on Foreign Relations Publishes CUF Commentary on Immigration ReformThe Council on Foreign Relations published a commentary by the Center's Jonathan Bowles about how immigration reform could boost U.S. economic performance. Published as part of an expert roundup on immigration reform, our piece argues that immigration reform will give the U.S. the ability to retain its advantages in human capital, innovation and entrepreneurship and boost the fortunes of many regions.
Commentary/Op-Ed - July 2010
A High Line for HarlemThis commentary, by the Center's David Giles, calls on the Bloomberg administration to back a proposal to turn the empty space under the Metro North tracks in Harlem into a vibrant, mile-long market for hundreds of local entrepreneurs. It argues that the proposed market could do wonders for a neighborhood lacking in affordable retail space and a city struggling to retain independent businesses.
Commentary/Op-Ed - July 2010
A Bad Bet for New YorkIn this Off the CUF commentary, Hugh O'Neill argues that video slot machines won't be enough to save Aqueduct Race Track. Instead, he says it's time for state officials to consider a better use for 192 acres of public land next to one of the nation's busiest airports.
Commentary/Op-Ed - March 2010
Completing Coney’s ComebackIn this Off the CUF commentary, Jasper Goldman, David Gratt and Juan Rivero conclude that it will require more than just a new amusement operator to re-establish Coney Island as a thriving outdoor entertainment destination. The piece applauds the Bloomberg administration for recent steps taken to bolster Coney Island's amusement district, but calls on city officials to take a series of relatively minor actions over the next few months to address several of the entrenched problems that have long undermined the area's appeal.
Commentary/Op-Ed - January 2010
Making the Most of ManhattanvilleIn this Off the CUF commentary, David Hochman writes that the battle over eminent domain should not be the final word on Columbia's planned expansion into West Harlem, arguing that local officials should now work to ensure that the university's new campus triggers additional economic development for New York and the community.
Commentary/Op-Ed - December 2009
Immigrant Entrepreneurism: An Engine for Economic RecoveryIn this essay for the new book What's Next for New York City's Economy, published by the Drum Major Institute, CUF's Jonathan Bowles argues that New York's economic development officials should look to immigrant entrepreneurs to provide a key spark to the city's economic recovery.
Commentary/Op-Ed - November 2009
Community Colleges as a Pathway out of PovertyIn this guest commentary to Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity, CUF's David Jason Fischer stresses the importance of boosting community college persistence and graduation rates, and notes several promising strategies toward this goal.
Commentary/Op-Ed - September 2009
Will Low-Skilled Workers Benefit from Economic Recovery?In this commentary for The Huffington Post, CUF's David Jason Fischer and Brandon Roberts of the Working Poor Families Project sound the warning that low-skilled workersalready bearing the brunt of the recessionmay find themselves left behind as an economic recovery takes hold.
Commentary/Op-Ed - July 2009
Job Training: Often Misunderstood But Too Important to DismissIn this commentary for The Huffington Post on behalf of the Working Poor Families Project, CUF's David Jason Fischer and the WPFP's Brandon Roberts examine some of the misperceptions and realities around job training in the United States today.
Commentary/Op-Ed - May 2009
Q&A with Anthony Carnevale, Director, Georgetown University Center on Education and the WorkforceAs part of our series of Q&As with innovators, entrepreneurs and policy experts, the Center's David Jason Fischer interviews Anthony Carnevale, former chair of the National Commission on Employment Policy, about the changing labor market, the future of vocational education and the impact of the recession on New York City.
Commentary/Op-Ed - March 2009
Working Toward A Workforce SystemAs the U.S. faces the worst economic crisis in decades, New York City is set to receive about $70 million in federal stimulus money for job training and employment services. This Off the CUF commentary evaluates the city's plans for the money and concludes that the influx of federal dollars could serve as the catalyst for positive changes to New York's workforce system that could reverberate long after the recession ends.
Commentary/Op-Ed - January 2009
Paying Attention to CitiesAfter years of federal policies neglecting urban areas, Barack Obama has sent some encouraging signals that he understands their importance. Certainly, New York could use a helping hand. In this commentary for Gotham Gazette, CUF director Jonathan Bowles lays out some ideas for what the president could do to aid New York. Bowles and CUF deputy director Tara Colton also appeared on WNYC's The Brian Lehrer Show to discuss these ideas.
