California

The Regional Biotech Manufacturing Initiative will provide education, work experience, and supportive services to 58 disadvantaged youth and adults and dislocated workers to assist them to move into biotech manufacturing careers. Thirty-six students will graduate through Gateway classes offered at two community colleges. The project will also offer one biotech manufacturing class, serving 20 students, and one calibration and instrumentation class, serving 15 students. The project will place 46 individuals in bio-tech manufacturing jobs.

The Fast Track to Biotech program will offer an education and training program that will prepare 100 low-income, underrepresented adults and transition-age youth for employment in the biotechnology industry. Through the proposed program, Laney College will guide students through a graduated sequence of pre-collegiate training courses.

City College of San Francisco, in partnership with Goodwill Industries and Bay Area biotech employers, will offer an education and training program that will prepare 99 low-income, underrepresented adults and transition-age youth for employment in the biotechnology industry.

Jewish Vocational Services’ Nursing Career Ladder Initiative aims to expand the pool of qualified nurses for Bay Area hospitals, while improving their economic opportunities through high-paying jobs in positions with career advancement opportunities.

The goal of the California EDGE Campaign is policy change and funding increases in support of effective workforce development in California. Currently, the EDGE Campaign is focusing on three main areas of work: advocacy on behalf or its policy agenda; building and mobilizing of its coalition of stakeholders; and media communications in support of advocacy goals.

The Alameda County Healthcare Initiative will offer a comprehensive array of training and support services to low-income, at-risk youth ages 18-24 to prepare them for jobs as medical and dental assistants.

Specifically, the program will offer job readiness training, a tailored customer service curriculum, educational skills support, career try-out internships at health care sites, classroom medical assistant and dental assistant training offered through community colleges, and medical and dental assistant internships at community clinics and larger health care institutions.