Building Skills New York, a non-profit organization that finds New Yorkers jobs, is promoting its monthly Worker of the Month series. It highlights outstanding workers that the organization has connected with jobs.
July Worker of the Month is Brownsville resident Anthony Whyte.
“Anthony Wythe’s success encapsulates the resiliency that is often found among the families of the 41st council district,” said Councilmember Alicka Ampry-Samuel (D-Bedford-Stuyvesant, Ocean Hill-Brownsville, East Flatbush, Crown Heights).
“Job security and advancements are building blocks to stability and further success. I appreciate Building Skills’ work with our local families and I am honored to be able to share in this moment. Congratulations to Anthony,” she added.
Before connecting with the organization, Whyte held a position working on cell phone towers that was limited to warm weather months. As a father, he wanted a more dependable income to support his family, and decided to transition into the construction industry.
After completing a 30-hour Occupational Safety and Health construction course, he attended a recruitment session in February and landed a job opportunity doing general labor.
“Before I found Building Skills, I never felt a true sense of job security,” said Whyte. “Now, my employment is steady, and I’m gaining the certifications and experience I need to advance my career in construction even further.”
Through the COVID-19 shut down, his employer connected him with a second opportunity with a new company, working on the Powerhouse Arts redevelopment in Gowanus.
His next step was earning his F60 fireguard certification from the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY). He now works in a supervisor position, ensuring proper fire safety measures are being followed. Whyte’s next career goal is to become a welder.
Building Skills’ said its total number of 2019 job placements was 340, up 45 percent from 2018.
According to its mission, the non-profit strives to reach historically underserved Black and Brown communities, and posted a statement in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement.
“We say it clearly: Black Lives Matter. George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Eric Garner and so many other lives were ripped away by racist violence that must never be forgotten. Change is needed now,” it stated, “For our team, this means that we will work harder to play a role in expanding opportunities and breaking down barriers for the men and women we serve every day.”
