Island Harvest celebrated the graduation of its third class from the Workforce Skills Development Institute’s Warehousing and Inventory Control Training program. The 10 graduates had an emotional graduation thanking their instructors for altering their career path towards a brighter future.

Island Harvest, a food bank dedicated to addressing hunger on Long Island, launched the Workforce Skills Development Institute to combat unemployment and to acquire the skills needed to secure well-paying jobs. 

The five-week training program provides students with essential life skills. Graduates of the program can earn up to six credentials, including forklift operator certification, OSHA 10 certification, and certificates of completion in various fields such as computers, warehousing and logistics, and food safety. The program also develops soft skills like interviewing, resume writing, nutrition and time management.

National Grid supports the Workforce Development program through Project C.

“Congratulations to the graduates who put in the time and effort to complete the course and now have new employment opportunities available to them. This is another example of how Island Harvest is working hard to tackle hunger from all angles and provide employment opportunities throughout Long Island,” said Brian Sapp, Director of External Affairs, National Grid.

(l to r) National Grid employees Brian Sapp, Director of External Affairs for Long Island; Wendy Frigeria, Strategic & External Affairs; Island Harvest President & Chief Executive Officer, Randi Shubin Dresner; National Grid employees Andrew Mulvey, Government Relations and Alexandra Paoli, Community Customer Engagement Analyst.

Community and elected leaders, including Assemblyman Mike Durso attended the graduation and congratulated the graduates on their achievements. 

Watch this short video by Island Harvest President & Chief Executive Officer Randi Shubin Dresner on the importance of the program.

About National Grid

National Grid (NYSE: NGG) is an electricity, natural gas, and clean energy delivery company serving more than 20 million people through our networks in New York and Massachusetts. National Grid is focused on building a smarter, stronger, cleaner energy future — transforming our networks with more reliable and resilient energy solutions to meet state climate goals and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.