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Who we are

Workforce Professionals Training Institute (WPTI) is a non-profit training and technical assistance organization devoted exclusively to strengthening the field of workforce
development.

What we do

WPTI provides professional development opportunities for workforce development staff and technical assistance to workforce development organizations/local workforce systems in order to improve capacity and strengthen performance. This is done through in-person training, distance learning, leadership development institutes, and customized technical assistance.

How we do it

Our experiential learning-based training programs balance practical training with research, policy discussion and academic inquiry. This approach brings the kind of critical thinking and practitioner-tested common sense into the training room that inspires participants to reflect on their practice and to consider ways to improve their programs. Our technical assistance services provide an array of highly customized support to workforce programs.

Through our training programs and workshops WPTI strives to:

• Bring together employers and practitioners to discuss staffing needs, industry trends, and partnership-building strategies
• Convene the many stakeholders that have a voice in the workforce development industry, from private industries to the public and social service sectors
• Assist workforce organizations to develop and maintain long-term, strategic partnerships with employers
• Include perspectives from seasoned practitioners and industry experts who understand the daily challenges facing front line and managerial staff in workforce development.

Why we do it

WPTI’s mission is to strengthen the workforce development field, therefore providing a greater opportunity for unemployed, under-employed, and never-employed people to access high quality training programs and services. We are concerned about the overall mobility of the workforce, and the opportunity workers have to advance their careers through training, education, and follow up services that workforce development organizations are uniquely positioned to provide.

Our Philosophy

We believe it is vital to our success that we stay in touch with the true day-to-day concerns of practitioners “on the ground.”  To do this, we strive to learn from the experience of current and past training participants. We use surveys and post-program evaluations to continuously learn of the ongoing needs of workforce practitioners. The feedback allows us to routinely reevaluate our curriculum, training products, and technical services so they can be most beneficial to our customers.

Over the past four years, we have trained more than 4000 practitioners in over 300 organizations in the New York City metro area. Our programs have helped many of our trainees get promoted to higher positions with greater responsibility and improve their organization bottom-line performance. Since we began, we have maintained a consistent 98 percent satisfaction rate among program alumni, and over 75 percent of the organizations we have served return frequently for upgrade training and to participate in our new programs.