N.Y. Lab. Law § 821
The commissioner may provide for career and related, institutional and on-the-job training courses as described in section five hundred ninety-nine of this chapter and for the administration of public work projects for recipients of public assistance, and may contract for these purposes with public and private agencies including public and private institutions of learning, employers or other appropriate organizations. He shall select for and refer to such training courses unemployed and under-employed persons who would meet the conditions for approval as specified in section five hundred ninety-nine of this chapter. He shall select and refer to public work projects all public assistance recipients registered at employment offices of the department who are neither referred thereby for employment in the regular economy or for career training, nor assigned to public works projects by social welfare officials. The commissioner may provide for such payments, either in advance or by way of reimbursement, from funds made available to carry out the purposes of this article, as he deems necessary.
N.Y. Lab. Law § 821