12/19/2008 GAAS:840:08 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Print Version |
Governor Schwarzenegger Announces Over $18 Million in Job Training Funds to Help Get Californians Back to Work
Continuing his commitment to stimulate job growth in the
California economy, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today announced that over
$18 million in job training grants will be directed to regions and job sectors
that have been hit hard in the national economic downturn.
“During this national economic downturn we must do
everything in our power to help Californians get back to work,” said Governor
Schwarzenegger. “These grants will provide the opportunity for thousands of
California workers to receive job training and placement assistance for jobs in
expanding industries - helping workers when they need it the most.”
The Governor has authorized a third round of economic
stimulus grants totaling $5.4 million in federal Workforce Investment Act
(WIA) Funds directed to 25 regions of California. These grants will provide job
training, education and placement assistance to people who are out of work due
to the economic downturn. The California Labor and Workforce Development
Agency’s Employment Development Department (EDD) provides administrative
authority over these Workforce Investment Act grants. (For a list of areas
receiving funding see CHART A below).
Also through federal WIA Funds, the Governor authorized a
$900,000 grant that will help retrain workers in Mendocino County who lost
their jobs in layoffs spurred by the closing of a construction and wood
products plant last year. This grant will help
retrain workers for jobs in in-demand industries including health care,
security, long-haul trucking and retail management. The grant was awarded
to the Mendocino Workforce Investment Board, which is working with 21 partners
to provide services through One-Stop Centers in Ukiah, Fort Bragg and Willits.
Additionally, the state’s EDD has received a $4 million
National Emergency Grant from the U.S. Department of Labor to provide services
to more than 700 U.S. Department of Defense civilian workers and private
contractors affected by Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) actions. The EDD is
disbursing the funds to Local Workforce Investment Areas working with eight
military bases and facilities to provide direct services including counseling,
case management, job training and development, relocation assistance, job
placement and follow-up. (For a list of areas receiving funding see CHART B
below).
In addition, the Governor announced today an $8.4 million
federal grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture that will help hundreds
of low-income migrant and seasonal farm workers still struggling to recover
from the massive freeze that caused $1.3 billion worth of damage to crops in
the San Joaquin Valley and Southern California in January 2007. The grants will
provide a wide range of aid, including temporary employment and training for
permanent jobs. Workers will also receive assistance for rent, mortgage and
utility payments, transportation, clothing and food referrals. Use of this
funding is contingent upon the notification and appropriation by the
legislature.
“In our rapidly changing economy, job training is a key that
unlocks the door to success for unemployed workers,” said Patrick Henning,
Director of the Employment Development Department. “The grants help workers
quickly move into new jobs offering good pay now and an opportunity to move upward
in the growing industries of the future.”
| Local Area |
County |
Amount |
| Foothill |
Los Angeles |
$125,000 |
| Humboldt |
Humboldt |
$125,000 |
| Imperial |
Imperial |
$325,907 |
| Kern, Inyo, Mono |
Kern, Inyo, Mono |
$602,869 |
| Kings |
Kings |
$125,000 |
| Long Beach |
Los Angeles |
$257,136 |
| Madera |
Madera |
$125,000 |
| Marin |
Marin |
$125,000 |
| Merced |
Merced |
$233,160 |
| Mother Lode |
Amador, Calaveras, Mariposa & Tuolumne |
$125,000 |
| Monterey |
Monterey |
$364,451 |
| North Central Counties |
Colusa, Glenn, Lake, Sutter & Yuba |
$230,166 |
| Richmond |
Contra Costa |
$125,000 |
| Santa Barbara |
Santa Barbara |
$150,304 |
| San Benito |
San Benito |
$125,000 |
| Santa Cruz |
Santa Cruz |
$174,317 |
| Selaco |
Los Angeles |
$159,277 |
| San Francisco |
San Francisco |
$370,738 |
| San Luis Obispo |
San Luis Obispo |
$125,000 |
| Solano |
Solano |
$203,384 |
| Sonoma |
Sonoma |
$187,380 |
| Tulare |
Tulare |
$404,641 |
| Verdugo |
Los Angeles |
$131,909 |
| Ventura |
Ventura |
$354,361 |
| Yolo |
Yolo |
$125,000 |
| Total |
$5,400,000 |
| Local Workforce Investment Area |
County |
Base/Facility |
| Nova |
Santa Clara |
Onizuka Air Force Station |
| Stanislaus County |
Stanislaus |
Riverbank Army Ammunition Plant |
| North Central Counties Consortium |
Yuba |
Beale Air Force Base |
| Orange County |
Orange |
Joint Forces Training Base Los Alamitos; Naval Weapons
Station Seal Beach |
| Ventura County |
Ventura |
Naval Base Ventura County |
| San Bernardino County |
San Bernardino |
Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow |
| Riverside County |
Riverside |
March Air Reserve Base |
