A $36 million makeover of the city’s workforce development program should help job seekers find jobs, Mayor Eric Garcetti said Wednesday.
“By refocusing efforts, we can build the workforce of the future,” said Garcetti, who joined city officials and Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard for a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Vernon-Central WorkSource Center on the campus of Los Angeles Trade-Technical College.
The center is one of 17 that will serve people looking for jobs in healthcare, advanced manufacturing, hospitality, green technology, transportation and logistics.
“The WorkSource Centers are a one-stop-shop for both job seekers and employers. They are a critical component in creating a business climate that generates good paying jobs and allows families to prosper,” Garcetti said.
The centers will offer access to computers, career advice, education assessment, as well as job training and referrals and help with resumes and interviews.
The city also revamped its employment website, Jobsla.org, to aggregate more listings from government and private sources. The site now lists 121,250 openings just in Los Angeles County.
“We have entered a new era in the job market and the WorkSource Centers coupled with jobsla.org will serve as powerful tools in helping put people back to work,” Jan Perry, general manager of the Economic and Workforce Development Department, said. “We anticipate we will serve 100,000 people this year.”
The $36 million comes in the form of federal and private grants, as well as equipment and facilities. The city could receive as much as $180 million over five years for the program.
The state is set to face a shortage of skilled workers — numbering about 1.5 million — by 2025, according to projections by Public Policy Institute of California analysts.
The city’s workforce development program “is primed to support Mayor Garcetti’s agenda to put Angelenos to work, at a faster pace,” Los Angeles Workforce Investment Board Chairman Charlie Woo said. “We are committed to preparing Los Angeles’s workers to meet the needs of the marketplace.”
— City News Service