Overview
The Lower East Side Employment Network (LESEN) is a partnership between eight community-based organizations and Community Board 3 that operates in Manhattan’s Lower East Side to improve connections between local job seekers and employers.
The Challenge
Perhaps nowhere in New York City are economic disparities as pronounced as in Manhattan’s Lower East Side, including Chinatown. The area’s approximately 160,000 residents live among high-end restaurants, art galleries, and a vibrant cultural and nightlife scene, yet many in the community are struggling.
13%
OF 18-24 YEAR OLDS IN THE LOWER EAST SIDE ARE OUT OF SCHOOL AND OUT OF WORK
14%
OF 25-32 YEAR OLDS IN THE LOWER EAST SIDE ARE OUT OF SCHOOL AND OUT OF WORK
30%
OF 18-24 YEAR OLDS IN THE LOWER EAST SIDE LIVE IN POVERTY
Approach
In response to neighborhood rezoning and incoming hospitality development, the LESEN has brought together the resources of eight community agencies and the Manhattan Community Board 3 in the Lower East Side to maximize local residents’ access to good-quality jobs in high-demand industries. The LESEN works closely with the hospitality sector to design customized training programs and streamline recruiting processes for hotels and related businesses.
Visit the LESEN WebsiteImpact
To date, the LESEN has achieved promising efficiencies which reflect the Network’s overall mission to collaboratively improve workforce development practices and reduce operational costs for employers and agencies, streamlining hiring processes while effectively connecting candidates to high-demand jobs.
Our Partners
Related Publications
In the wake of the Great Recession, a strong economy made it easier for young adults to find jobs, leading to significant declines in the number and share of New Yorkers aged 18 to 24 who were out of school and out of work from 22 percent (187,588 young adults) in 2010, to 16 percent […]
In this report, Center for an Urban Future examines the connections and gaps between collaborative initiatives like the Lower East Side Employment Network, East Harlem Talent Network & Good Help. Below is an excerpt from the paper: The Lower East Side Employment Network was formed in part to reduce the competition among workforce development agencies. […]
Strengthening Employer Engagement Practices in the Youth Employment Field by: Lou Miceli There has been much recent discussion in our field around “cracking the code” of effective employer engagement. Employers have many options for filling positions, and workforce organizations often struggle to build the relationships that lead even to semi-regular hiring, much less continual placement […]
This month, Measure of America, a research project of the Social Science Research Council, issued a report entitled, High School Graduation in New York City: Is Neighborhood Still Destiny?, which documents disparities in high school graduation rates throughout New York City neighborhoods. While the City’s Department of Education regularly reports on disparities in graduation rates by […]
The Lower East Side Employment Network (LESEN) is a collaborative partnership between eight community-based organizations and Community Board 3 that operates in Manhattan’s Lower East Side neighborhood to improve connections between local job seekers and employers. While the partnership has been in existence since 2007, its efforts were officially ramped up in 2012 when JobsFirstNYC […]
On March 7, 2016, JobsFirstNYC and the Aspen Institute’s Economic Opportunities Program convened leadership from government, philanthropy, the business community, and the workforce development field in New York City and beyond to discuss the implications of their jointly released paper, Optimizing Talent, the Promiseand Perils of Adapting Sector Strategies for Young Workers. This paper aims […]
IN THIS ISSUE< Editorial from JobsFirstNYC State of the Borough New Initiatives Publications Recent Convenings Conferences Celebrating Our Partners News from the Field< Staff Announcements EDITORIAL FROM JOBSFIRSTNYC Last month, Governor Cuomo gave his 2016 State of the State and executive budget address in Albany, NY. While the governor announced his plan to expand […]
In this week’s Partner Spotlight, we are excited to feature a short interview with Gaspar Caro, Coordinator for the Lower East Side Employment Network (LESEN). What led you to a career working with youth? Growing up in NYC with immigrant parents from troubled Latin America, and a physician father who worked in low-income, southside […]
Last week, JP Morgan Chase & Co. announced the launch of its New Skills for Youth initiative, a global, five-year, $75 million plan to expand career-focused education. It is partnering with the Council of Chief State School Officers and the National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium to provide select state and […]
Innovations in the Field is a series examining programs supported by JobsFirstNYC that serve both employers seeking job-ready workers and young adults in New York City looking to access employment and training opportunities. These programs are innovative in two respects: how workforce providers engage as partners with employers, and how providers collaborate rather than compete with […]
