Work Readiness
Workforce Readiness
BNHRA's Workforce Readiness Committee works with businesses, schools, and government agencies to close the gap between where workers are and where employers need them to be.
Workforce readiness means something different depending on where you sit. For a school, it's whether students graduate prepared for real work. For an employer, it's whether candidates are able to do the job. For a workforce development agency, it's whether the training programs they run map to what's actually being hired for.
HR sits in the middle of all of this. Our profession knows what a qualified candidate looks like, where the skill gaps are, and what happens when the pipeline is evolving. The BNHRA Workforce Readiness Committee connects those dots, bringing business, education, community organizations, and government together to build the kind of workforce WNY employers and employees need.
That means partnerships with local schools and colleges, collaboration with workforce development agencies, and advocacy for programs and resources. SHRM designates Workforce Readiness as a core leadership area for HR chapters for exactly this reason.
The region's largest employer-led workforce initiative, embedded at the Buffalo Niagara Partnership. Runs programs addressing barriers to employment, career pathways, upskilling, and economic mobility. Their HR Toolkit is a free library of vetted HR policies built specifically to help local employers retain and advance workers.
Visit Employ Buffalo Niagara ↗A cross-sector coalition working to close racial equity gaps in WNY, including in employment, housing, and economic opportunity. If your organization is serious about equitable hiring and building a workforce that reflects the community you're in, this is an excellent organization to know.
Visit Racial Equity Roundtable ↗Erie County's publicly funded workforce development center. Job seekers get free training, resume help, and employment services. Employers can post jobs, tap into subsidized hiring programs, and connect with job-ready candidates they wouldn't otherwise find through traditional channels.
Visit BETC ↗Niagara County's workforce development center. Covers job search services, training programs, and employer connections for the north end of WNY. If you're hiring in Niagara County, this is the contact to have.
Visit WorkSource One ↗Veterans come with significant skills, but they don't always translate cleanly to civilian job titles. This is why a lot of qualified candidates get screened out before getting to the interview.
The SHRM Foundation's Veterans at Work program gives HR professionals the tools to fix that: free training, a certificate, and practical guidance on recruiting, onboarding, and retaining veteran talent. The IRS Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) offers up to $9,600 in tax credits for hiring qualifying veterans.
Up to $4,800 — disabled veterans
Up to $5,600 — unemployed 6+ months
Up to $9,600 — disabled veterans unemployed 6+ months
If you work with schools, workforce agencies, or economic development organizations — or you just care about making WNY a region where people can get good jobs — reach out to the Workforce Readiness Director.
