SPECIAL PROMOTIONAL SECTION
In the midst of 2020 ’ s uncertainty and lockdowns , the Greater Sacramento Economic Council partnered with the Greater Sacramento Urban League , the city of Sacramento , Merit America and General Assembly to create a digital upskilling training program that served as a lifeline to participants from underserved communities who had lost jobs to the pandemic and were in desperate financial circumstances . Conducted from September through December 2020 on CARES Act funds , it also served as the pilot for what is planned to be a more expansive — but equally successful — ongoing program .
“ Digital upskilling is an amazing opportunity to help provide socioeconomic lift to individuals and whole communities as well as offer muchneeded workforce development for employers ,” says Dr . John Jackson , president of William Jessup University . “ Generally speaking , a patchwork of nonprofit organizations has operated workforce development programs that , in many cases , have had low success rates in placing participants into sustainable jobs . In the future , however , I think we ’ ll see community colleges and public and private universities partnering with employers to produce training programs that will actually equip workers for sustainable employment and provide a critical workforce for employers .”
Jackson also co-chairs the Competitiveness Council , a group of employers and educators who try to help GSEC address workforce development and business attraction to position our region for success . “ Companies considering coming to this area or those already here and considering expansion must see a workforce with viable digital skills to move forward with their plans ,” he says . “ To that end , I have tremendous confidence that through partnerships of our regional employers and educational institutions , the success of the GSEC pilot program can be reproduced .”
The pilot program ’ s success is remarkable , considering the conditions and atmosphere of its timing . CARES Act funding stipulated that the program be concluded by the end of 2020 ,
ALICIA MCHALE ( LEFT ), PICTURED WITH HER FAMILY , WAS ABLE TO FIND FULL-TIME EMPLOYMENT AFTER COMPLETING THE DIGITAL UPSKILL PROGRAM .
PHOTO COURTESY OF GSEC
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