Employment

Putting skills to work: How on-the-job and employee readiness training help California

Job Link ensures employee readiness in many ways. Job seekers work closely with career counselors, who assess their preexisting skills, needs and interests. They steer them to classes at Petaluma Adult School, arrange bus passes or child care, help them update their resumes, and direct them to job fairs. In other words, they work to remove the many barriers under-served communities typically have toward employment. And this readiness counseling pays off. […]

Employment

Prison to Employment: How California workforce development boards help…and why it matters

When that long countdown to the end of a prison sentence reaches zero, the door swings open. It will mean little, however, if that’s the last open door an inmate sees.

Unlocking the entrance to the job market is essential for the 35,000 or more individuals released from California prisons yearly. It’s also essential for the economy and for communities who feel the impact when those who are released fail to find solid employment and reoffend. […]

Labor

Ready to do the job: how ValleyBuild is preparing diverse communities for careers in construction

ValleyBuild is a training program started by the Fresno Regional Workforce Development Board with the aim of preparing students for apprenticeships and careers in construction. The program lasts six weeks, and is based on the multi-craft core curriculum, or MC3, meaning students learn skills ranging from electrical work to forklift operation. The instructors come from local union affiliates in the Building Trades Council. […]

Labor

California Workforce Association Spotlight: Members help job seeker and employers reconnect post-pandemic

Phillip Fitzgerald loved his job. For 32 years, he worked as a commercial driver, most recently transporting senior citizens. He was at his last job for nearly five years before the pandemic hit and the company shut down. After a year of lockdowns and COVID-related closures, he finally found another job, only to have that company relocate out of state after two and a half months. With a family to support, Fitzgerald needed to find work. […]

Parents and children outside
Labor

Making a Difference Together: How the California Workforce Association Built a Public-Private Coalition to Fight Homelessness and Unemployment

Complex problems require complex solutions. It’s tempting to think homelessness can be solved merely through more affordable housing. But that’s just a stopgap. The homeless need a living wage, jobs that use their skills, and resources like gas money and child care in order to continue working. These needs won’t be met by one agency alone. But when organizations like CWA unite with private partners, they can change the lives of people like Markitha Welcome and Malik Woods. […]