New York’s largest employers convene at Amazon Tech Hub for Career Development Forum with over 100 CUNY students, hosted by New York Jobs CEO Council 

13 companies from across the city gathered to share best practices around job applications and networking, and recruit CUNY students into high-earning careers

October 4, 2024 (NEW YORK) – The New York Jobs CEO Council today hosted one of New York City’s largest annual career-focused events for college students, bringing together hiring managers from over 14 globally-recognized companies. Held at Amazon’s newest New York Tech Hub, the full-day Career Development Forum brought together over 100 students from two-year and four-year City University of New York (CUNY) colleges. Students had the opportunity to meet one-on-one with career representatives from the city’s biggest employers ranging from Amazon, AIG, American Express, Aon and BlackRock, to Bloomberg, EY, JPMorgan Chase, NYPresbyterian, PwC, TD Bank, and Wells Fargo.

All companies represented at the event are members of the New York Jobs CEO Council (“Jobs Council”). Founded in 2020, the Jobs Council is committed to breaking down barriers to family-sustaining careers and building an inclusive workforce development system that works for all New Yorkers. Led by 29 CEOs from New York’s largest employers, the Jobs Council aims to hire 100,000 low-income New Yorkers, including 25,000 CUNY graduates, to ensure broader access to opportunity. The Career Development Forum is part of the Jobs Council’s broader strategy to ensure CUNY talent has access to the knowledge and career resources needed to land a job post-graduation. 

“Developing New York’s future talent starts today,” said Kiersten Barnet, Executive Director of the New York Jobs CEO Council. “For the second year, the Jobs Council’s Career Development Forum brought together the city’s largest employers and CUNY’s top talent under one roof to increase access to family-sustaining careers. Students benefit from the opportunity to meet and learn from recruiters, and businesses benefit from connecting early with talented and hard-working young people.” 

The forum works to equip students with the knowledge around developing a resume, interview skills and most importantly, awareness of recruitment timelines. The New York Jobs CEO Council also introduced new tools launching citywide, including a first-of-its-kind jobs guide that links students up with direct recruitment timelines for major employers, and Handshake, a recruiting platform rolling out at CUNY campuses citywide to give students immediate access to employers, allowing them to tap into rich and diverse pools of talent.

“After earning a New York University Tandon Bridge Program credential in Coding and enrolling in Borough of Manhattan Community College in Computer Science, I recognized that it was important to kickstart my career before graduating,” says Yangmei Lu, resident of Manhattan. “New York Jobs Council programming has helped me strengthen my resume, career outlook and personal mission, which will one day help me meet my long-term dream to work in product management. Since I’ve begun attending events, I’ve already landed an opportunity to participate in a ten-week mentorship program in the financial industry.”

Recent hiring trends published by the New York Jobs CEO Council found that their strategic efforts in diversifying talent acquisition are yielding positive outcomes. Notably, the retention rate for early career hires from low-income backgrounds has increased to an impressive 87% last year, marking a substantial 10% year-over-year increment. These proof points demonstrate the power of the public and private sector coming together to advance a system that makes it easier for everyone to make it in New York City.  

About the New York Jobs CEO Council  

The New York Jobs CEO Council is a nonprofit membership intermediary that works to scale sustainable, market-driven workforce development solutions that benefit both jobseekers and businesses. Led by CEOs of large employers, the Jobs Council is committed to hiring 100,000 low-income New Yorkers into in-demand careers, including 25,000 jobseekers from the City University of New York (CUNY), by 2030. Jobs Council activities are rooted in the belief that stronger employment outcomes are required to drive sustainable and inclusive economic growth in New York City.  

Current member companies include Accenture, AIG, Amazon, American Express, AON, Bank of America, Blackrock, Bloomberg, Citi, ConEdison, Deloitte, EY, Google, IBM, JPMorgan Chase, KPMG, Mastercard, McKinsey & Co, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Microsoft, Mount Sinai, New York Presbyterian, Northwell Health, PwC, Ralph Lauren, TD Bank, The Travelers Companies, Inc., Tishman Speyer, and Wells Fargo.