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The Harlem Health Initiative (HHI) at CUNY SPH will implement the new Cannabis NYC Career Training Program, a citywide workforce development initiative designed to connect New Yorkers with employment opportunities in the legal cannabis industry.
Launched this week by the New York City Department of Small Business Services (SBS) and the Mayor’s Office for Economic Opportunity (NYC Opportunity), the program will support job seekers pursuing careers in the growing legal cannabis sector while helping employers recruit, train, and retain qualified employees. The CUNY SPH Foundation will serve as the program’s fiscal manager and administrative partner.
Through an employer-driven, on-the-job training model, the program will provide participants with cannabis-industry education, workforce and career-readiness training, résumé and interview support, individualized career coaching, case management, employer connections, and structured employment opportunities. The initiative will focus especially on expanding access to quality jobs for people from communities disproportionately affected by cannabis prohibition.
For participating cannabis businesses, the program will help identify qualified job seekers and develop job-specific training for eligible new hires. Employers may also receive talent development reimbursements to offset qualifying onboarding and training costs.
“Through our Harlem Health Initiative and with support from the CUNY SPH Foundation, we are preparing a skilled and informed workforce that understands both the opportunities and the public health responsibilities of this industry,” Dean Ayman El-Mohandes said in a press release. “Together with the New York City Department of Small Business Services, NYC Opportunity, employers, and community partners, we are helping shape an industry that supports economic mobility, protects public health, and benefits the communities most affected by cannabis prohibition.”
HHI is the community-facing arm of CUNY SPH, partnering with residents, community-based organizations, government agencies, and institutional partners to advance health equity through education, research, workforce development, technical assistance, and public health practice. Its role in the Cannabis NYC Career Training Program reflects CUNY SPH’s commitment to applying a public-health and equity lens to the development of New York City’s legal cannabis industry.
“This initiative is about creating opportunities, supporting employers, and ensuring that the benefits of New York’s legal cannabis industry reach the communities that have historically been left behind,” HHI Director Deborah A. Levine said in the same release. “By combining workforce development with public health and community engagement, we are building careers, strengthening communities, and helping shape an equitable cannabis industry for the future.”
Job seekers and cannabis businesses interested in participating can complete the Cannabis NYC Career Training Program interest form and register for a free info session.
