Santa Ana, Calif. (October 19, 2021) – The Orange County Workforce Development Board (OCWDB) was awarded a Comprehensive and Accessible Reemployment through Equitable Recovery (CAREER) grant by the U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration in the amount of $3,000,000 to help dislocated workers find jobs. In partnership with the Anaheim Workforce Development Board, Santa Ana Workforce Development Board, community colleges, and a consortium of community partners, the OCWDB will use this grant to help dislocated workers access employment opportunities through the OC CAREER Program. COVID-19 and the stay at home order issued by the State of California triggered mass layoffs and an economic downturn, disproportionally impacting minorities, women, and persons with disabilities. The grant was accepted by the Orange County Board of Supervisors at their meeting on October 19, 2021 and work will begin immediately to provide training and employment services for job seekers in historically marginalized communities.
The OC CAREER Program will work specifically to reach the long-term unemployed with available career and training services. Services will include career counseling, training, credentialing, paid work experience, on-the-job training, job placement assistance, and follow-up and retention services. The CAREER team’s approach will be a rapid reemployment model to get people back into paid positions as quickly as possible with support services to address barriers to employment.
This program will also support the purchase of an OC Workforce Solutions mobile unit, an ADA-compatible RV customized to serve up to 12 people at any one time, with rapid response activities, employment search, job training, and other workforce services. In addition to a new mobile unit, the program will implement a virtual Learning Management System (LMS) to allow for a greater expansion of OC Workforce Solutions system services, including access to online training, resources, and system partner staff. Both the mobile unit and LMS will provide new entry points into the OC Workforce Solutions system for Orange County residents, especially those who remain unemployed due to COVID-19.
For more information on how to enroll in this program, visit oconestop.com/job-seekers or call the Economic and Business Recovery Call Center at (714) 480-6500.
The County of Orange would like to thank the following Orange County Community Partners: Anaheim Workforce Development Board, Santa Ana Workforce Development Board, Community Action Partnership, United American Indian Involvement, Saddleback College, Goodwill Industries of Orange County, Huntington Beach Adult School, North Orange Continuing Education, Orange County Office on Aging, California Department of Rehabilitation, and Long Beach Job Corps.
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The Orange County Workforce Development Board, through the Orange County Business Service Center and Orange County Workforce Solutions, offers comprehensive services such as hiring assistance, career transition services, and employment services to businesses and job seekers at no cost.
This WIOA Title I financially assisted program or activity is an equal opportunity employer/program. Auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities. If you need special assistance to participate in this program, please call 949-341-8000. TDD/TTY users, please call the California Relay Service at (800) 735-2922 or 711. Please call 48 hours in advance to allow the One-Stop Center to make reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility to this program.
