CAPITAL REGION CARES
The Capital Region added 51,400 jobs in the last year and trimmed the unemployment rate by half to about 4 percent , according to the most recent Employment Development Department data . Even so , “ Help Wanted ” signs continue to pop up throughout the region like flowers in spring as the economy soaks up those new workers — and is still asking for more .
“ It ’ s a job-seeker ’ s market right now ,” says Dwayne Crenshaw , CEO of the Greater Sacramento Urban League . Crenshaw is one of many executives of regional nonprofits who are working at warp speed to satisfy the appetite of a hungry job market by providing training for people otherwise found at the end of the unemployment line . These clients are often looking for a fresh start not only financially , but also in their lives as a whole .
Crenshaw notes that the demand for GSUL ’ s workforce training programs was “ hot and heavy ” during the pandemic as people were displaced or laid off . The Digital Upskill program , one of their signature projects conducted in partnership with the Greater Sacramento Economic Council , drew 10 times the number of applicants as the 500 slots available . A few were gamers who were familiar with computers , but most — like the majority of the 3,000 people who go through GSUL ’ s training programs each year — had little or no work experience and were looking to develop skills for a new career .
Digital Upskill graduates ’ eagerness and aptitude were reflected in a 96-percent graduation rate before they spread out to well-paying jobs with GSUL ’ s corporate partners , including Accenture , Google , PowerSchool and the UC Davis College of Engineering , which Crenshaw notes has 180 job openings a year that require digital skills .
Businesses Eager to Fill Openings The region ’ s nonprofits offer an array of certificate programs for a wide range of entry-level jobs , including culinary , construction , nursing and medical assistant positions .
“ Having a place to live is the foundation for finding a job . Without it , there is no place to get mail or a payroll check .”
Deborah Johnson Program Director , Ready To Work
Captain Larry Carmichael , the Salvation Army ’ s social services officer , says that graduates of his four-week culinary program now prepare meals for his organization ’ s 140-bed emergency shelter in Sacramento and 104-bed transitional housing facility in Lodi and that “ some are working in school kitchens , Costco , Raley ’ s and with some of Sacramento ’ s best chefs .”
Carmichael says all of his training programs are up to speed now but were slowed during the pandemic . “ It ’ s hard to teach nursing online ,” he says of one program that provides technicians to Quest Diagnostics , “ and construction companies didn ’ t want to risk their employees being exposed to COVID .”
The Salvation Army curriculum includes general introductions to 26 craft trades like plumbing , electrical and general construction and provides OSHA and Hazardous Materials certifications , making graduates eligible for apprenticeships . Carmichael is also getting ready to launch a new training curriculum in Sacramento focused on building infrastructure , such as foundation design , piping and plumbing systems . He says many of his construction graduates go on to work for general contractors alongside regular journeymen . “ We invite contractors to come in every Friday to do mock interviews with the students . By the end of the second week , most of them have a job lined up — they just don ’ t know it yet ,” he says .
Both Crenshaw and Carmichael report that business owners are eager to fill job openings and are always asking when the next batch of graduates will be available . Carmichael has even had restaurant owners snatch students midway through a month-long culinary course and agree to finish their training on the job .
Retraining and Retention Crenshaw says that operating workforce programs professionally has created strong support for them among local businesses .
When students are well-prepared thanks to high-caliber instruction , “( business ) folks know they are getting highly qualified candidates that would cost them thousands of dollars more to train ,” he says . Some programs even pay students a stipend for their classroom time so that learning a job is treated like having a job .
Chris Mann , program supervisor for Volunteers of America Northern California and Northern Nevada , says the biggest factor in his success finding employment for clients who are referred to him from city and county social service agencies in Greater Sacramento is the ability to be a matchmaker . After learning as much as possible about a client through an hour-long interview and already knowing the long-term needs of the businesses he works with , he ’ s able to easily match workers with employers — mainly small companies with up to 20 employees .
“ We are an advocate for our people and businesses trust us ,” says Mann , a social worker by trade . That trust comes from knowing the culture on both sides . “ Most of my clients don ’ t have the structure to go back to work ,” as many
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84 comstocksmag . com | May 2022