Sonoma County Workforce Investment Board
Sonoma County Workforce Investment Board and Youth Council Highlights
Jump to: Awards | Events and Conferences | Grant Funding Received | Initiatives | By Year |
Awards
2005: National Association of Counties Achievement Award: Nurse Workforce Initiative Training Program
2011:
National Association of Counties Achievement Award: Sonoma County Youth Ecology Corps
Events and Conferences
WIB
May 2004: High Tech Committee worked with local technology firms and arranged for teachers and students to tour facilities and speak to employees
March 2005:
Offered Customer Service pilot program for hospitality employees
May 2006:
Offered a second Customer Service program for hospitality employees
March 2007: Held Food and Wine Career Expo at Empire College
Youth Council
January 17, 2003: Convened first Youth Symposium introducing the “All Youth One System”
June 19, 2003: Held first Youth Summer Job Fair
May 18, 2004: Convened second Youth Symposium “Youth Voices”
May 20, 2004: Held second Youth Summer Job Fair
March 17, 2005: Convened third Youth Symposium “Youth and the Global Economy”
April 7, 2005: Held third Youth Summer Job Fair
April 6, 2006: Held fourth Youth Summer Job Fair
March 23, 2007: Convened fourth Youth Symposium “R U Ready?”
April 3, 2008: Convened fifth Youth Symposium “Job Flavor, Ingredients for Success”
April 3, 2008: Held fifth Youth Summer Job Fair
October 22, 2009: Held sixth Youth Symposium “Road Trip Sonoma County”
August 5, 2010: Opportunities Fair held for the Summer Jobs Program participants
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Grant Funding Received
WIB
December 2000:
Received H1-B grant from the Department of Labor to train unemployed and incumbent workers to take unfilled local tech jobs that would normally need to be filled by workers on H-1B visas
March 2001: Received Caregiver Training Initiative grant valued at $543,464 to aid workers looking to enter the field of healthcare
October 2002:
Received Nurse Workforce Initiative grant valued at $1,037,477 to train RNs, LVNs, and other licensed healthcare professionals
March 2005:
Awarded $180,000 in support of a Healthcare Training Initiative, which provided funds for healthcare workers, and others to train, upgrade their skills, and obtain services that enabled them to enter, return to, or advance to licensed nursing positions
October 2009:
Received a $1 million grant to provide Green Regional Education & Employment in the Northbay (GREEN)
Initiatives
WIB
October 2002: Began three initiative committees to better target specific industries: Health Care, High Tech, and Hospitality
May 2008 – June 2009: Began a Career Information Access Initiative, contacting employers and employees to determine how Sonoma County residents obtain information about jobs and careers, what kind of career information is available, and in what ways the WIB can improve access to career information. Report published June 2009
January 2008: Began an Aging Workforce Initiative, researching the impact of older workers on the local workforce, with the goals of helping employers address the needs of the aging workforce, increasing the job training and placement services available to older workers, and partnering with the Economic Development Board in a survey of Sonoma County’s major employers to gather information on the challenges and opportunities presented by the aging of the workforce
June 2009: Began an English Language Learner Initiative, with the goals of identifying what resources are available to English learners, what services are still needed to benefit the workforce; partnered with Santa Rosa Chamber of Commerce’s WHEEL (Workforce Held Employee English Learning) program
By Year
2011
WIB
June:
Consolidated staff into one location- the new office space houses the 120 Employment and Training staff members, 30 co-located partners, more interview rooms and an expanded computer lab with accessibility tools
August: Sonoma County WIB approves the Upstream Investments Resolution of Alignment
Youth Council
June:
Awarded a National Association of Counties Achievement Award for the Sonoma County Youth Ecology Corps
June 16 - October 14:
Third year of the Sonoma County Youth Ecology Corps (Summer Jobs Program). 200 youth were hired
November:
Merger of the Summer Youth program and the Year-Round hiring program to create a single procurement, and to ensure continuity of services for youth participants
2010
Youth Council
June 30:
Second year of the Summer Jobs Program. 176 youth were hired.
August:
Opportunities Fair held for the Summer Jobs Program participants. It featured mock interviews, information about schools, career training, employment and other services
2009
WIB
June: Began an English Language Learner Initiative, with the goals of identifying what resources are available to English learners, what services are still needed to benefit the workforce; partnered with Santa Rosa Chamber of Commerce’s WHEEL (Workforce Held Employee English Learning) program
September:
Received a $1 million grant to provide Green Regional Education & Employment in the Northbay (GREEN)
Youth Council
June 29 – September 14, 2009: First year of the Summer Jobs Program. Over 300 youth were employed in the County.
retention was extremely high, with fewer than 5% of the youth dropping out before the end of the summer
October:
Held sixth Youth Symposium “Road Trip Sonoma County”
2008
WIB
January:
Began an Aging Workforce Initiative, researching the impact of older workers on the local workforce, with the goals of helping employers address the needs of the aging workforce, increasing the job training and placement services available to older workers, and partnering with the Economic Development Board in a survey of Sonoma County’s major employers to gather information on the challenges and opportunities presented by the aging of the workforce
May – June 2009: Began a Career Information Access Initiative, contacting employers and employees to determine how Sonoma County residents obtain information about jobs and careers, what kind of career information is available, and in what ways the WIB can improve access to career information. Report published June 2009
Youth Council
April: Convened fifth Youth Symposium “Job Flavor, Ingredients for Success”
April:
Held fifth Youth Summer Job Fair
2007
WIB
March: Held a Hospitality Career Fair at Empire College
Youth Council
February:
The Marketing to Out-of-School Youth Committee’s efforts provided community exposure of the Youth Provider’s services (i.e. Movie Theater Ad’s, Marketing Materials)
March:
Convened fourth Youth Symposium “R U Ready?”
2006
WIB
May: Offered a second Customer Service program for hospitality employees
Youth Council
April: Held fourth Youth Summer Job Fair
July:
Re-secured six contracts for youth provider services utilizing the regionally-based approach resulting in youth services being provided throughout Sonoma County in conjunction with successfully implementing the Youth Common Measures Pilot Project
2005
WIB
Received Achievement Award from National Association of Counties (NACo) for Caregiver Training Initiative and Nurse Workforce Initiative, and the partnerships needed to put them in place
March: Offered Customer Service pilot program for hospitality employees
March: Awarded $180,000 in support of a Healthcare Training Initiative, which provided funds for healthcare workers, and others to train, upgrade their skills, and obtain services that enabled them to enter, return to, or advance to licensed nursing positions
Youth Council
March:
Convened third Youth Symposium “Youth and the Global Economy”
April: Held third Youth Summer Job Fair
July: Created a temporary Youth Employer Account Representative Position (2005/2006)
November:
Developed Work Ready Certificate and successfully transitioned to SCOE for ongoing implementation
2004
WIB
May: High Tech Committee worked with local technology firms and arranged for teachers and students to tour facilities and speak to employees
Youth Council
January: Developed a resource website for Sonoma County Youth, www.socoyouth.org (closed 2011)
March:
Coordinated establishment of employment center at Chops Teen Center
May:
Convened second Youth Symposium “Youth Voices”
May:
Held second Youth Summer Job Fair
2003
WIB
High Tech Committee worked with CSU Sonoma to establish a Master's of Science and Bachelors of Science Degree in engineering
Youth Council
January: Convened first Youth Symposium introducing the “All Youth One System”
June:
Held first Youth Summer Job Fair
July:
Successfully re-secured six contracts for youth provider services utilizing the regionally-based approach resulting in youth services being provided throughout Sonoma County
2002
WIB
August: Produced a WIB Business Plan
October: Received Nurse Workforce Initiative grant valued at $1,037,477 to train RNs, LVNs, and other licensed healthcare professionals
October: Began three initiative committees to better target specific industries: Health Care, High Tech, and Hospitality
Youth Council
December:
Sonoma County Job Link Youth Resource Center Opened
2001
WIB
March: Received Caregiver Training Initiative grant valued at $543,464 to aid workers looking to enter the field of healthcare
Youth Council
July:
Secured six contracts for youth provider services utilizing a regionally-based approach resulting in youth services being provided throughout Sonoma
2000
WIB
December:
Received H1-B grant from the Department of Labor to train unemployed and incumbent workers to take unfilled local tech jobs that would normally need to be filled by workers on H-1B visas