ALBANY, N.Y. — About 2,100 New York State employees working in professional traineeships across 46 state agencies will get pay increases in an effort to attract and retain talent.
Employees in these positions will receive either a 5.7 percent increase in salary or an 11.6 percent rise in salary, depending on their title, the office of Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Thursday.
The increases, which took effect Thursday, will boost the salary for those in a Trainee 1 title from Grade 13 ($49,363 annually) to Grade 14 ($52,198). Salaries will also increase for those in a Trainee 2 title, from Grade 14 ($52,198) to Grade 16 ($58,247).
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Traineeships are used by various state agencies for entry-level professional positions to provide on-the-job training and hands-on experience while individuals acquire necessary baseline skills. Professional traineeships typically last two years and trainees receive salary increases based on performance and achieving milestones, Hochul’s office said.
Most professional two-year traineeships require a college degree or equivalent work experience. At the successful completion of a two-year traineeship, employees are promoted into entry-level positions with salaries in the range of $65,000 to $83,000 annually.
Most of the trainee positions are in the professional technical & scientific unit, which is represented by the Public Employees Federation (PEF), Hochul’s office noted.
The salary increase is expected to have the greatest impact at agencies that currently have the largest number of eligible positions. They include the Department of Environmental Conservation, Department of Health, State Insurance Fund, Department of Transportation, Office for People With Developmental Disabilities, Office of Mental Health, Department of Civil Service, Office of Medicaid Inspector General, Department of Motor Vehicles, and Office of General Services.
The announcement impacts more than 280 trainee titles, including specialty and language-related titles. Job titles that utilize traineeship paths include human resources specialist, administrative specialist, contract management specialist, health program administrator, and business systems analyst.
