Just Add One Program at Westchester Community College Wins Award

From Westchester Community College:

The Westchester Community College Just Add One program, which assists small businesses in their efforts to expand, has received the Workforce Program Award from the New York Association of Training and Employment Professionals (NYATEP). The program is funded by the Westchester-Putnam Development Board. “We are proud of this recognition for an initiative which truly fits into our mission as a community college,” says Dr. Belinda S. Miles, President, Westchester Community College. “The college prides itself on its involvement in workforce development.

The Just Add One project has proven to be a successful team effort.” NYATEP is a statewide workforce association made up of colleges, Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES), workforce development boards and other workforce associations. The annual award was presented at the organization’s conference in Albany, New York.

This initiative for Westchester and Putnam County businesses in New York State was coordinated by two offices within the college’s Workforce Development and Community Education Division. The Gateway to Entrepreneurship (G2E) office supports entrepreneurial education through collaborations with partners in both the public and private sectors. G2E is a resource hub for entrepreneurial development at all stages, facilitating programs that respond to entrepreneurs’ needs and contribute to a vibrant local economy. Gateway to Entrepreneurship’s various programs give entrepreneurs the tools to turn their ideas into businesses by offering workshops, courses, consultations and other resources. With this particular effort, the G2E staff worked with individuals in the college’s Professional Development Center, which provides incumbent workforce. training for local businesses.

Just Add One was developed in partnership with the Westchester-Putnam Workforce Development Board and the Business Council of Westchester to assist eligible small business owners to create strategies to strengthen their business models/operations and make them more efficient, with the goal of helping each participating business grow, add a new employee, and contribute to the economic growth in the region. Within six months after the completion of the program, employers reported that a total of 45 new employees had been hired, with some companies adding one employee and others multiple employees. Westchester Community College’s Gateway to Entrepreneurship partnered with the Westchester-Putnam Workforce Development Board, Community Capital New York and the Business Council of Westchester to deliver a ten-weekprogram for businesses at the growth stage.

With a strategic focus on empowering businesses to hire new employees, this program placed emphasis on problem areas to help address some of the obstacles preventing small business owners from growing their companies. Each of the participating businesses was assigned a coach who worked with each of the business owners for the entire ten weeks of the program. For many of the businesses, this was their first experience with coaching. Some of the businesses retained their coaches after the program ended. “Just Add One was empowering,” says Eve Ashworth of Ashworth Creative, a Westchester design firm. “Inside my small and successful business is a bigger and even more successful business longing to get out! This program strengthened my skills and helped me forge connections with individuals who have expertise in finance, Human Resources, and business development. From the moment this program started, I found myself assimilating the ideas and tools and experience of the Just Add One team. Week by week, my business became stronger and the opportunities brighter. This program was invaluable!”

In addition to the new graphic designer hired by Ashworth, various jobs were added at other small businesses including sales staff, project managers, office staff, warehouse employees, electricians along with a hair stylist, video editor, business development coordinator, and solar system installer.

“The initiative has validated the significant impact that efficiently run small businesses and properly trained entrepreneurs can have in preserving and creating employment opportunities,” says Donnovan Beckford, Director of the Westchester-Putnam Workforce Development Board. Dr. Marsha Gordon, President and CEO of the Business Council of Westchester, concurs. “Our organization is so pleased that this entrepreneurial program proved to not only educate small business owners to improve performance but indeed demonstrated proven results in terms of job creation. This is the essence of economic development through a program that truly delivers success!” The selection of participating businesses was limited to qualified applicants. In order to participate in this program, which will start its second year of operation shortly, businesses must have a growth goal that would require the hiring of at least one additional employee.

For further details on the program, email rg099@sunywcc.edu or call the college at 914-606- 5685.

Photo Courtesy of Westchester Community College