Governor Kathy Hochul announced plans for the new Focused Attraction of Shovel-Ready Tracts New York grant program to attract and expand key growth industries to New York State.
Through Empire State Development, the governor’s fiscal year 2023 budget will make up to $200 million available to the new FAST NY grant program to develop sites that will attract high-tech manufacturing, particularly semiconductor manufacturing, warehousing, distribution, and logistics businesses to the state to jumpstart New York’s shovel-readiness and increase the state’s attractiveness to large employers.
FAST NY grant funding will be used to improve the shovel-readiness of existing, mature sites by funding improvements such as water infrastructure, sewer infrastructure, roads, electrical substations and power and gas lines, as well as prepare an emerging pipeline of future shovel-ready sites by addressing necessary pre-development site planning and reviews.
Empire State Development launched a FAST NY online portal to solicit interest and provide updates about the program as it is developed. The site will serve as the home of the FAST NY grant program, which, following the passage of the state’s budget, will eventually feature a formal application. The information collected will help inform the State as it reviews potential sites that would position New York to be a more competitive place to locate and expand a business, by helping to usher in a new era of market-ready infrastructure.
To help New York City manufacturing firms staff talent, The Manufacturing and Industrial Innovation Council (MaiiC) will be launching the next cohort of the ApprenticeNYC for Advanced Manufacturing program. This is a year-long city sponsored apprenticeship program that helps manufacturing businesses hire critical entry level talent.
As New York City seeks to rebuild its economy from the pandemic Policies aimed at protecting and growing industrial jobs can improve not only NYC’s economy, but the lives of nearby residents and workers, who are disproportionately low-income and people of color. These are not just vital jobs, but the higher pay and growth opportunities make them family-supporting careers. In fact, the average wage for an employee in the manufacturing sector is around $69,000 as opposed to around $38,000 in retail and $31,000 in food services. That is why business groups, community advocates, and companies throughout NYC (including NewYorkTruckStop.com) joined the Industrial Jobs Coalition.
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