Programs at the Hub
If you are interested in any of our programs, please fill out our interest form here.
Or if you are interested in joining us for an info session please click here.
Job Placement Assistance
Do you need assistance in finding a job or advancing your career? Are you looking to enter or reenter the workforce? We can help! We offer free job placement assistance to participants in search of employment or who are interested in making a career move.
Participants will learn marketable skills that create long-term careers and can choose amongst the following services:
- Job placement assistance
- Work readiness skills training
- Career counseling
- Networking skills training
- Job Clubs
- Digital Literacy Classes
Individuals may also be eligible for full scholarships towards vocational training in Allied Health, Culinary Arts, Information Technology and Security Guard.
For more information or to register please contact our intake team by emailing [email protected] or calling 718-268-5057.
The Commonpoint Queens Adult Workforce Services program works with local employers and staffing agencies to advertise their open job opportunities and refer candidates to them. Click here to see what opportunities are currently available.
FREE Tax Prep Assistance
Community members can schedule appointments by emailing employmentservices@
Our Free Tax Assistance program is only available during tax season, which is typically held between January and April 15th.
Vocational Training
Our vocational training programs are offered to eligible adults and out of school youth on a scholarship basis. All interested applicants must apply for the vocational training scholarships in order to enroll for a training.
Acceptances will be contingent upon documentation submission, eligibility, interviews, and other criteria.
Certified Nurses’ Aide
Certified Nurses’ Aides (or CNAs) are employed in nursing homes and rehabilitation centers. They assist medical staff in bathing clients, feeding patients, assisting with personal care and hygiene, and other hands-on needs. All graduates receive a CNA state license through National Healthcareer Association (NHA).
Commonpoint partners with Access Institute to bring an 8-week CNA job placement program. All interested applicants must join an information session, be interviewed by the scholarship team, and take an assessment exam. Other requirements and eligibility rules apply.
Interested applicants must be ready to work immediately after completing the training as state-certified CNAs.
What’s the next step?
Please complete a Google Interest form by clicking here. A representative from Commonpoint will reach out to you once recruitment begins and invite you to a virtual information session on Zoom.
Patient Care Technician
Patient Care Technicians (or PCTs) are employed in nursing homes, hospitals, rehabilitation centers and other medical centers. They assist medical staff in bathing clients, feeding patients, assisting with personal care and hygiene, and other hands-on needs. Additionally, they are trained in Ekg /PHL and can also remove stitches, insert catheters, clean wounds, perform injections, etc. All graduates receive a CNA state license, as well as a National Patient Care Technician license through National Healthcareer Association (NHA)
Commonpoint partners with Access Institute to bring a 16-week PCT job placement program. All interested applicants must join an information session, be interviewed by the scholarship team, and take an assessment exam. Other requirements and eligibility rules apply.
Interested applicants must be ready to work immediately after completing the training as state-certified CNAs and / or nationally recognized PCTs.
What’s the next step?
The next step is to complete a Google Interest form by clicking here. A representative from Commonpoint will reach out to you once recruitment begins and invite you to a virtual information session on Zoom.
Pharmacy Technician
Pharmacy Technicians are employed in local pharmacies, big box chains, and even hospitals and medical centers. They work alongside licensed pharmacists to fill prescriptions, work with insurance companies, and communicate with the public. All graduates receive a Medca certification, and qualified graduates can apply to take the PTCB license exam.
Commonpoint partners with Access Institute to bring an 8-week Pharmacy training and job placement program. All interested applicants must join an information session, be interviewed by the scholarship team, and take an assessment exam. Other requirements and eligibility rules apply.
Interested applicants must be ready to work immediately after completing the training.
What’s the next step?
The next step is to complete a Google Interest form by clicking here. A representative from Commonpoint will reach out to you once recruitment begins and invite you to a virtual information session on Zoom.
Home Health Aide
Home Health Aides (HHA) work directly in a person’s home and often assist with light cleaning, bathing, monitoring a patient’s vitals, and other household needs. Additionally, some nursing homes hire home health aides to assist the healthcare team with various functions and duties. Graduates of the training will receive a state license through New York Department of Health.
Commonpoint partners with Access Institute to bring a 6-week Home Health Aide training and job placement program. All interested applicants must join an information session, be interviewed by the scholarship team, and take an assessment exam. Other requirements and eligibility rules apply.
What’s the next step?
The next step is to complete a Google Interest form by clicking here. A representative from Commonpoint will reach out to you once recruitment begins and invite you to a virtual information session on Zoom.
Construction training
Commonpoint Queens partners with Building Skills NY to bring a construction training and job placement program to our clients. Graduates can expect to receive a two-week training to receive OSHA-30, SST-10, flagger, silica, scaffolding, and fire guard certifications to land critical jobs on many construction sites within the five boroughs.
Additionally, clients will complete a four-week training through NCCER, where graduates can expect to complete various learning modules in power tool safety, handling materials and equipment, and professional communication.
All interested applicants must join an information session, be interviewed by the scholarship team, and take an assessment exam. Other requirements and eligibility rules apply.
Interested applicants must be ready to work immediately after completing the training.
What’s the next step?
The next step is to complete a Google Interest form by clicking here. A representative from Commonpoint will reach out to you once recruitment begins and invite you to a virtual information session on Zoom.
Security Guard training
Commonpoint partners with Arrow Security for immediate training and job placement within the five boroughs. Graduates can expect to enroll in a four-day training to receive 8 and 16-hour licenses, as well as a fire guard (F-02) certification. Once completed, clients will be placed in an open position with Arrow Security. Interested applicants must be ready to work immediately after completing the training
All interested applicants must join an information session, be interviewed by the scholarship team, and take an assessment exam. Other requirements and eligibility rules apply.
** Commonpoint does not offer licensing renewal.
What’s the next step?
The next step is to complete a Google Interest form by clicking here. A representative from Commonpoint will reach out to you once recruitment begins and invite you to a virtual information session on Zoom.
Community Health Worker
Community Health Workers (CHWs) perform critical needs for our community by working as a bridge between the city’s healthcare system and various groups and neighborhoods within the five boroughs. They perform outreach to the community, share health resources, and work with vulnerable populations to bring much needed information.
This particular training program is designed for non-native English speakers. All interested applicants must join an information session, be interviewed by the scholarship team, and take an assessment exam. Other requirements and eligibility rules apply.
Commonpoint partners with CUNY LaGuardia Community College to bring a 16-week onsite and virtual training followed by a 125-hour internship.
Interested applicants must be ready to work as CHWs immediately after completing the training.
What’s the next step?
The next step is to complete a Google Interest form by clicking here. A representative from Commonpoint will reach out to you once recruitment begins and invite you to a virtual information session on Zoom.
Culinary Arts training
Commonpoint offers a 12-week culinary arts training for individuals interested in pursuing careers in kitchens across the city. Jobs include line cooks, assistant sous chef, and future culinary directors.
The 12-week training is onsite at Commonpoint’s kitchen and students can expect to learn techniques to work successfully in a professional kitchen. Curriculum includes grilling, frying, scaling up recipes, knife work, and other approaches to preparing food for large groups and orders.
Culinary students can also expect to work alongside a professional team of chefs to fill orders, prepare meals for outside delivery, and assist in catering for VIP and internal Commonpoint events.
What’s the next step?
The next step is to complete a Google Interest form by clicking here. A representative from Commonpoint will reach out to you once recruitment begins and invite you to an in-person information session.
Interested applicants must be ready to work immediately after completing the training.
What’s the next step?
Please complete a Google Interest form by clicking here. A representative from Commonpoint will reach out to you once recruitment begins and invite you to a virtual information session on Zoom.
Vocational Training Freelance Training
New this year, we are now offering a training that will provide you with the entrepreneurship skills training needed to become an independent freelance worker. Independent work offers people the opportunity to earn supplemental income, practice newly developed professional skills, build work experience, and design a flexible work schedule that meets their needs. Students learn how to find freelance work through online platforms, create a great online work profile, market themselves and develop a personal branding utilizing social media, provide great customer service, create contracts, manage their finances and taxes, and much more.
For more information please email [email protected] or call 718-268-5057.
Work Supports Program
Our Work Supports Programs provide free, comprehensive enrollment assistance and referrals for a variety of services and needs, including:
- SNAP (food stamps): enrollment, recertification, and mediation
- Food Pantry: Commonpoint Queens provides a client-choice pantry to the community
- Medicaid and other health insurance program: enrollment assistance
- Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP): referrals for enrollment
- Legal counseling referrals
- Financial Counseling Clients with other needs are encouraged to contact us for assistance; we are happy to identify other resources based on the needs of our community.
For more information about the Work Supports Programs, please contact Jose Irizarry, Coordinator, Work Supports Programs at (718) 268-5057 ext 108 or irizarry@commonpointqueens.
Food Pantry
No one should ever go hungry. We can help. The Commonpoint Queens Digital Food Pantry, which has locations in Little Neck (Tanenbaum Family Pool), Forest Hills (Central Queens), Elmhurst (Silver Hub), Queens Village (Martin Van Buren High School), and Jamaica (Youth Opportunity Hub) offers kosher fresh produce and non-perishable goods for the greater Queens community. After an intake, clients are registered into a digital database, allowing them to log on to the system from home or from one of our in-house kiosks, and order their personalized monthly food selections which will then be prepared and ready to be picked up within minutes.
Client intakes and orders are processed Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm. Hours for each location are the following:
Forest Hills:
Monday – 11am-2pm & 3pm-6:30pm
Tuesday – 9am-2pm
Wednesday – 9am-2pm & 3pm-6:30pm
Thursday – 9am-2pm
Friday – 9am-2pm
*NEW Sunday Hours: 10am-2pm
Little Neck:
Monday-Friday – 9am-12pm
Elmhurst:
Monday-Friday – Walk-in hours 10am-3pm
Queens Village:
Tuesday-Thursday – 9am-2:30pm
Jamaica:
Monday 11-2PM
Tuesday: 9AM -2PM & 3:30PM -6PM
Wednesday: 11AM-2PM
Thursday: 9AM-2PM
Friday: 9AM-2PM & 3:30PM -6PM
For upcoming distribution dates and to become a client of our food pantry, please contact Susan Meza, Director of Food Programs at [email protected].
ESOL Classes — English for Speakers of Other Languages
Want to learn English? Beginner, intermediate, and advanced classes will be held virtually beginning in May. For more information about enrolling into the ESOL program please contact Martha Zambrano, ESOL Instructor at [email protected].
Digital Literacy Classes
The goal of our Digital Literacy classes is to teach basic computer concepts and skills so that people can use computer technology in everyday life, and thereby develop new social and economic opportunities for themselves, their families and their communities. Participants will have an opportunity to improve their skills in using Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint to edit or draft professional documents. They will practice using social media, such as LinkedIn or Facebook, to network and develop a professional brand.
Join us for 4-Day Digital Skills Bootcamps! Programs will be held Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 10am-12:30pm. Tambien ofrecemos este programa en español lunes, martes, miercoles, y jueves 2pm-4:30pm.
For more information about the Digital Literacy Classes, please contact Older Vera at [email protected] or call 619-630-8904.
Opportunity Youth
The term Opportunity Youth refers to those between the ages of 16 and 24 who are neither in school nor working. This may be due to a variety of reasons- including barriers such as homelessness, pregnancy or parenting, or involvement with the juvenile justice or child welfare systems. The negative effects of this disconnection are ongoing, resulting in lower incomes, higher unemployment rates, and negative physical and mental health outcomes. Young adults who are not in school or working represent untapped potential, or opportunity, for our nation.
We offer a comprehensive High School Equivalency program to help out of school young adults get back on the right track. We also offer medical certification programs for high school graduates who are not in college/have a college degree and are unemployed. All of our Opportunity Youth Programs provide either a stipend or paid internships and career readiness classes to prepare our participants to enter the workforce.
Programs include:
Advance & Earn
Advance & Earn is a program for young people between the ages of 16-24 who are not currently working or attending school and live in any of the 5 boroughs of New York City. We offer High School Equivalency Programs with Pre-HSE and HSE classes, as well as Advanced Training Programs for those with a high school diploma or equivalent with high-demand certifications in the medical field such as EKG/Phlebotomy Tech, Certified Nurse Aide, and Clinical Medical Administrative Assistant.
Eligibility requirements include:
- Young people between the ages of 16 and 24 years old
- Residents of one of the five boroughs of New York City
- Currently not working or in school
- Willing to commit six months to the program
- Legally authorized to work in New York City
New for Winter 2023, programs will be held at:
Commonpoint Queens Youth Opportunity Hub
82-41 Parsons Boulevard
Jamaica, NY 11432
804 E. 138th Street
Bronx, NY 10454
Click here to learn more!
Train & Earn
Train & Earn (formerly the Out-of-School Youth Program) is a career pathways program that provides comprehensive job training and employment services, along with support services needed by participants to find a permanent job, obtain their high school equivalency if applicable, and access postsecondary education and training. Train & Earn is for youth and young adults aged 16–24, who are not working and not in school, and meet certain eligibility requirements.
Eligibility requirements include:
- Young people between the ages of 16 and 24 years old
- Residents of one of the five boroughs of New York City
- Currently not working or in school
- Must meet income and other eligibility criteria
- Reside in NYCHA or high poverty area
- Pregnant or parenting
- Currently or formerly received foster care services
- Currently or formerly court involved
- Homeless/Runaway
- Receive SNAP or other public assistance
- Have a disability
- Had an IEP in High School or Middle School
- Must be a New York City resident
- For Train and Earn medical certification programs offered through the Opportunity Youth Programs at Commonpoint Queens, all applicants must have a high school diploma or equivalent and be 18 years of age.
Click here to learn more!
To participate in this program, please fill out our eligibility form and we will contact you. For more information, contact Kelly McArdle at [email protected]