TEAM Business Advisory Council (BAC)

To advise and assist RealJOBS NY and its partners in substantially increasing the involvement and participation of business and industry in the development of employment opportunities for persons with barriers to employment.

-BAC Mission Statement

The long and successful history of the Business Advisory Council began years ago, when, as part of a PWI (Projects with Industry) grant, Northeast Career Planning recognized that a viable BAC would be instrumental in the success of their program and would create linkage with the business community. Through an innovative marketing effort and tremendous support from business leaders, an effective Business Advisory Council was formed and began meeting.

The initial BAC was established in the capital district and supported by staff and funding obtained by NCP through their grant funding. Years passed and the BAC was indeed proven to be very important to consumers and NCP programs and services. Eventually the PWI grant came to a conclusion, ending direct support funding for staff support and other expenses related to operating the BAC.

Recognizing that the value of the BAC far exceeded the PWI grant alone, NCP sought ways to continue support for the BAC and did so through a lot of staff effort and BAC member support.

While this effort was underway, WDI was developing vocational services and beginning to offer program support to consumers and service providers for persons with disabilities. In 2008, WDI Vocational Services was awarded a five-year PWI grant and, like NCP before it, quickly recognized the value of an effective BAC. Working with the community college network, WDI Vocational Services established its RealJOBS NY program, providing vocational and placement services to persons with disabilities throughout the capital district and in the Glens Falls area. The BAC, as envisioned by the RealJOBS NY program, would have two components; one group meeting and representing the immediate capital district, and a second BAC group focused on the unique business interests and economic environment of the North Country.

In a series of planning meetings with staff of both agencies, it became clear to both NCP and WDI that if WDI could assume staff support and direct funding for the capital district BAC that already existed, new efforts could be directed to the development of a second and long wished for BAC in the Glens Falls area.

It is this partnership between NCP and WDI that has revitalized and expanded the BAC, creating what we now call the TEAM BAC. (TEAM referring to “Together Each Achieves More”)

This partnership has also encouraged WDI to utilize its PWI funding to provide a Regional Program Assistant to support the work of the BAC, and we were indeed fortunate to have had the opportunity to hire Stacy Wood in that capacity.

Stacy has enabled us to host our most recent BAC meetings both at HVCC and SUNY Adirondack, and her office at WDI should serve as our link through which our communications and meetings take place.

For more information about WDI's TEAM Business Advisory Council, please contact Stacy Wood by email or by calling 518-272-3500 x114.