Community Corner

Navy Yard Touts Youth Employment Program

Representative of development corp. visits CB2's Job Creation and Economic Development committee Tuesday evening.

A senior executive with the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corp. met with members of Community Board 2 Tuesday night to spread news of the success of its Summer Jobs Program.

The initiative employed a total of 61 teens in fields ranging from security, engineering and human resources, according to BNYDC senior vice president Richard Drucker, who spoke before CB2's Job Creation and Economic Development committee at Long Island University's Brooklyn Campus.

According to Drucker, the jobs program's $100,000 budget was buoyed this year by a $50,000 grant from J.P. Morgan Chase Bank, which allowed for more young people to be placed in jobs at BNYDC and its tenants.

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"These are tangible things these kids are learning, like showing up to work on time, following instructions and being cooperative," Drucker told the committee.

Nationally, and right here in Brooklyn, youth unemployment has spiked in recent years as competition for entry-level jobs from other workers displaced by the economic downturn has increased.

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According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the share of young people employed nationwide in July was 48.8 percent—the lowest since record keeping began in 1948.

Also on the agenda was the impending opening of Building 92, which Drucker said would make its debut Nov. 11, Veterans Day. The complex will include three floors of exhibition space and a cafe.

However, the good news was tempered by continued uncertainty regarding the development of Admiral's Row, which was from the National Guard to the city in June.

A developer for the site, which is , will not be selected until the transfer is reviewed and approved by the city Planning Department and the City Council in a process expected to be complete by January 2012.

But until a builder is named, plenty of questions—and promised jobs—remained on the table.


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