Thousands of jobs will come to southeast Queens
BY BILL PARRY
Thousands of jobs will be
coming to southeast Queens
as part of the $13 billion JFK
International Airport redevelopment
and Governor Cuomo
announced the first in a series
of initiatives targeting employment
opportunities, business
opportunities, and training and
education resources that will
benefit local neighborhoods.
“As we move forward with
the modernization of JFK Airport,
we want to ensure that
the historic transformation of
the airport will also lift up the
surrounding Queens communities,”
Cuomo said. “These initiatives
will support businesses
and help the local community
find new jobs, providing an
additional regional economic
boost as we enter the next phase
of the airport redevelopment.”
The JFK Redevelopment
Community Advisory Council,
co-chaired by Congressman
Gregory Meeks and Queens
Borough President Melinda
Katz, will launch a major job
recruiting program for the
15,000 jobs at the airport and
the 4,000 construction jobs that
will be created by the five-year
construction program which is
scheduled to begin next year.
“I am proud to announce
these new initiatives, which will
further ensure that contracts
are going to local businesses,
that the people of Queens will
find meaningful employment,
and that investment is being
made in our schools to prepare
students for the STEM
careers of the future,” Meeks
said. “This combined with the
MWBE commitments we’ve
already secured will make the
JFK redevelopment not just investment
in our infrastructure,
but an investment in the working
families of Queens.”
The JFK jobs program will
enhance outreach to underserved
neighborhoods in Jamaica,
Far Rockaway and the
surrounding communities.
“The JFK Redevelopment
Project has the greatest potential
to bring quality jobs and extensive
economic development
to southeast Queens in a very
long time,” state Senator James
Sanders Jr. said. “The governor’s
initiative towards matching
workers, entrepreneurs and
youth with these opportunities
The $13 billion JFK Airport redevelopment will bring thousands of
jobs to Southeast Queens and Gov. Cuomo announced programs to
connect residents with opportunities. Courtesy of Governor’s offi ce
is a worthy first step, since it is
only fitting that these people
who are most affected by the
redevelopment reap the most
benefits.”
A new Far Rockaway office
at the Rockaway Development
and Revitalization Corporation
will open in the spring and will
have four dedicated staff members
focused on connecting
local residents to new employment
opportunities. Additional
outreach and recruiting support
staff will be based at the
Council for Airport Opportunity’s
main Jamaica office.
“We are delighted with the
work of the JFK Advisory Council
in developing these new programs,”
Councilman I. Daneek
Miller said. “Our priority from
day one has been ensuring that
this process includes benefits
to our constituents in southeast
Queens, and the programs announced
today will go a long
way in doing so. The initiatives
touch on a lot of different needs
in our community, from jobs to
educational opportunities, and
we look forward to their implementation.”
Other programs will include
a second chance employment
initiative will be targeted
toward formerly incarcerated
people, a new science and technology
program for 300 local
students to steer them toward
careers in aviation, and concession
opportunities for local
retailers and restaurants. Plus,
the Port Authority and JFK
Airport will roll out extensive
training programs to enable
small businesses to qualify and
compete for other future concession
opportunities.
“The $13 billion redevelopment
of Kennedy Airport is
more than a crucial investment
in the infrastructure of
our city. It is a steadfast commitment
to creating opportunities
— be it employment,
economic or educational — for
the growing families who call
the adjacent neighborhoods
home,” Katz said. “Local and
second chance hiring, engaging
neighborhood small businesses
and uplifting the next
generation of aeronautic engineers
are pillars of this redevelopment
plan, and these initiatives
will be hallmarks of
this overhaul of Kennedy into
a top-flight airport befitting of
Queens and of New York in the
21st century.”
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