IRC job training participants planting onions and leeks at Rise and Root Farm in Chester, NY
IRC job training participants planting onions and leeks at Rise and Root Farm in Chester, NY
Photo: Kathleen McTigue

New Roots NY and IRC in NY's POWER (Providing Opportunities for Women’s Economic Resilience) program have teamed up this spring to offer a comprehensive and engaging job training program. The program focuses on team building and professional development skills while exposing program participants to employment opportunities within the food and agriculture industries in and around NYC.

Participants engage in classroom-based trainings and field trips on Tuesdays. So far they have discussed resume writing, financial literacy, and interviewing skills during their classroom sessions. Their field trips have taken them to Hot Bread Kitchen in Harlem, Eat OffBeat based in Long Island City and upstate to Chester, NY to visit Rise and Root Farm.

On Thursdays, participants work alongside garden members and New Roots staff at the New Roots Community Farm in the Bronx. In addition to practicing English, participants have built garden beds, started over 20 varieties of seeds in the greenhouse, planted out kale, Swiss chard, spinach, and lettuce, moved endless wheelbarrows full of soil all while creating a strong, reliable team.

As participants complete their training, New Roots and POWER staff will support them through interviews and finding employment opportunities that meet their skills and interest.