In 2022, Governor Kathy Hochul announced a historic investment of $350 million for strategic workforce development (since supplemented by $180 million in additional funds in 2023), and the creation of the Office of Strategic Workforce Development (OSWD) within Empire State Development (ESD).

This report summarizes OSWD’s activities from its launch in fall 2022 through 2023, including achievements and lessons learned that can inform a coordinated statewide workforce strategy going forward. It also summarizes the status of all funding programs launched or expanded through New York State’s $530 million investment across seven agencies, the tracking and reporting of which is a core function of OSWD.