Local residents who were laid off from jobs at Milgard Manufacturing, the Hollister School District and the County of San Benito may qualify for job training programs that are starting up at the county. The programs include an individual training account, on-the-job training, work experience and support services.
The programs are funded as part of a $19 million state training grant that was received in February by 13 counties, including San Benito. It is estimated that about 50 local residents will benefit from the programs.
To qualify, former employees of Milgard have to have been laid off after Dec. 15, 2011, HSD employees after March 15, 2012 and county employees after July 1, 2012. Orientations will be held weekly on Wednesday and Friday, from 9 to 10 a.m. in Spanish and from 10 to 11 a.m. in English.
The individual training account program funds up to $4,000 to cover tuition, books and supplies for individual classroom training. Some of the potential professions residents can learn include health care, truck driving and laboratory techs.
Through the on-the-job training program employers provide up to 600 hours of training to employees with the employers receiving up to 50 percent reimbursement of eligible employee wages.
A press release from the San Benito County One-Stop Career Center states, “The OJT program makes it easier for employer and employee alike to take the time to thoroughly train for the real world business that are required to fully reach their potential and become vital assets to their employers.”
In work experience, participants learn about professional work ethic and life skills. After completing employment readiness training they are placed with an employer for 600 hours of training. The goal is for participants to be hired as interns with the intent of being hired permanently after the training period.
Some residents are eligible for support services such as transportation, childcare or dependent care, tools and uniforms, testing and licensing fees, parking fees, background check fees and some other expenses allowed by the workforce investment act.
“California is steadily adding jobs as we work our way out of the deepest economic downturn in more than seven decades,” said Pam Harris, the California Employment Development Director, when the grants were awarded in February. “While we have taken great strides, we still have far to go. Many workers remain unemployed because they lack the skills needed in the economy of the 21st century. This grant will provide them with the tools to find jobs in three primary high-growth industries: health care, professional and business services, and transportation and warehousing.”
Funding for the program is from Governor Jerrry Brown’s 25 percent portion of Dislocated Worker Funds from Title I of the federal Workforce Investment Act and is under the administrative authority of the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency’s EDD.
Other counties to receive funding include Alameda, Colusa, Contra Costa, Glenn, Imperial, Los Angeles, Orange, Sacramento, San Joaquin, San Luis Obispo, Sutter and Yuba.
For more information on the program, residents may call the One-Stop Career Center at 831-637-5627 and ask for Carina Escaname or Kou Yang. They can also visit the office at 1111 San Felipe Road, Ste. 107.
