Contra Costa Refinery Transition Partnership program receives $400K

The Resilient Workforce Program invests in opportunities that advance job quality, environmental resilience

By Anna Champe, Communications Manager, California Workforce Development Board

SACRAMENTO, CA – The California Workforce Development Board (CWDB), in partnership with the Labor & Workforce Development Agency, recently awarded $33,155,915 to nine projects across the state to advance High Road Training Partnerships (HRTPs) that move underserved populations into better jobs.

Monday’s funding announcement is part of a larger, multi-level investment to advance state workforce development efforts to prioritize equity, quality jobs, and climate resilience

while meeting regional labor market needs. With the addition of these nine new projects, California is investing more than $260 million in nearly 100 active state-funded HRTPs.

The Contra Costa Refinery Transition Partnership received $400,000 in RWF funding in Spring/Summer 2022.

“Funding for existing HRTPs, which invest in industry-led worker-informed efforts, deliver on Governor Newsom’s promise of a California for All,” said California Workforce Development Board Chief Deputy Director Curtis Notsinneh. “California continues to lead the nation in investments that recognize and lift up a middle-class, while meeting the skills needs of our employers to stay competitive and innovative.”

Projects receiving funding include:

• $7.5 million for High Road to Tribal Forest Restoration and Stewardship – expands job pathways with living wages for underserved tribal and rural populations, including tree and native plant nursery work, forest health, and forest and meadow restoration.
• $5.1 million for Early Care & Education Pathways to Success – this existing apprenticeship program will expand to new under-sourced regions and serve 655 new apprentices to earn certifications in education serving Pre-K to Third-grade students.
• $5 million for Vocational English as a Second Language Home Care Immersion Training Program – Homebridge will partner with SEIU Local 2015 to provide language skills and advanced home care training to immigrant, refugee, and formerly incarcerated populations. Participants will immediately earn $25 an hour after graduating and have opportunities for advancement.
• $5 million for Dental Assistant Training Program – will scale successful earn-as-you-learn bootcamps to more regions and fill the gap between unlicensed dental assistants and licensed Registered Dental Assistants. Target populations include low-wage workers, communities of color, youth, immigrants, and workers without a college degree.

Contra Costa Harnessing Change: Refinery Transition Partnership (CCRTP)

Contra Costa County (CCC) communities, particularly low-income communities of color, bear major health burdens inflicted by the refineries and their toxic emissions. Additionally, the Bay Area refineries emit significant amounts of climate warming greenhouse gasses, posing one of the state’s most significant challenges to climate resilience. As California works to establish a carbon neutral economy, the oil refining sector will unavoidably undergo a massive transition. This transition is already taking place in CCC, where two of the four refineries are transitioning to biofuels, resulting in a significant workforce reduction–most notably at the Marathon Martinez Refinery, which laid off approximately 700 workers in 2020.

The Contra Costa Refinery Transition Partnership (CCRTP) is the first effort to bring together frontline workers and community organizations to plan for refinery transition. CCCRTP brings together CCC oil refinery workers, the refinery community, allies, and high-road industry stakeholders to develop shared strategies to prepare for this significant economic shift, including leading research and developing policy recommendations to support refinery communities and workers, as well as the development of a regional high-road economic development vision to advance CCC’s economic resilience as the state transitions to a low-carbon economy.

This project addresses the critical need to plan for economic transition in one of California’s most oil-industry dependent counties, through deep engagement and shared visioning led by impacted workers and community members themselves, in partnership with the broader community of stakeholders.

Project Highlights

• Strengthen the CCRTP for the long-term, as a coalition of frontline workers, community organizations and allies.

• Complete and publish a detailed report and recommendations on planning for refinery transition in the Bay Area.

• Complete and publish a Contra Costa High Road Economic Development Vision.

Key Partners

• Contra Costa Central Labor Council
• BlueGreen Alliance Foundation
• United Steelworkers District 12
• United Steelworkers Local 5
• UA Plumbers & Steamfitters Local 342
• Asian Pacific Environmental Network
• California Labor Federation, Workforce & Economic Development (WED)
• UC Berkeley Labor Center

A complete list of awardees can be found on CWDB’s website.

Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.

Awards more than $40 million statewide for Resilient Workforce Program, invests in workforce opportunities that advance job quality and environmental resilience.

By Anna Champe, Communications Manager, CA Workforce Development Board

The California Workforce Development Board (CWDB), in partnership with the California Labor & Workforce Development Agency, recently awarded more than $41 million to 18 projects across the state to advance High Road Training Partnerships (HRTPs) that move underserved populations into better jobs. Today’s funding announcement is part of a larger, multi-level state investment to promote workforce development efforts that prioritize equity, quality jobs, and climate reliance while meeting regional labor market needs.

“HRTPs invest in industry-led, worker-informed efforts to deliver on the promise of a California for All,” said CWDB Executive Director Tim Rainey. “HRTP’s Resilient Workforce Program is part of California’s high road vision for the state’s workforce development system that focuses on the principles of job quality, worker voice, equity, and environmental sustainability.”

HRTPs are industry-based, worker-focused training partnerships that develop talent for California’s “high road” employers — firms that compete based on the quality of product and service achieved through innovation and investment in human capital and thus can generate family-supporting jobs where workers have agency and voice. The HRTP Resilient Workforce Program initiative will increase access to existing high-road jobs for underserved populations and create pathways for job growth for incumbents already employed with high-road employers.

Projects receiving funding include $500,000 to the Workforce Development Board of Contra Costa County for the East Bay Health Equity Initiative.

The East Bay Health Equity Initiative (EBHEI), which includes East Bay Workforce Boards and the Bay Area Health Workforce Partnership, received funding to replicate a successful Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT) training program and other in-demand health careers. The project will focus efforts on local schools providing career training in a variety of health professions and includes additional resources to enhance financial, academic and career support.

Over the last two years, the Workforce Development Board of Contra Costa County’s (WDBCCC) has established a proven model by identifying existing training providers and then adding supplemental services and resources to make those programs more accessible and better meet the needs of low-income workers, immigrants/refugees, justice-involved, veterans and other priority groups.

The project is expected to begin implementation in Spring 2024. 

• $5 million for Scaling Proven Allied Healthcare Adult Training Pathways– Jewish Vocational and Career Counseling Service will deliver established allied healthcare training programs in the Bay Area and work to scale them throughout the state using strategic partnerships with various healthcare institutions. 
• $5 million for Public Pathways – the Aggie Square Community Partnership will connect underserved populations with career, education, training, and skills in high-road, high-demand career pathways, including public sector/business, healthcare, biotechnology, and community workers.
• $5 million for HRTP- Behavioral Health Expansion (BHE) – to expand substance use disorder career pathways in San Diego with the support of many diverse, invested local partners and five different education partners. 
• $4.8 million for Golden State Pathway to Teaching and Leading – to create no-cost pathways for paraeducators and others to earn a teaching license. The Teachers College of Western Governors University will provide education, training, and in-classroom experiences.
• $4.6 million for High Road to Microelectronics– for specific company-specific and worker-customized training and certificate programs at three community colleges in the Bay Area to bring workers into quality semiconductor careers.
• $4.5 million for High Road to Correctional Health Professions – to support strategic partnership between Service Employees International Union Local 1000, California Correctional Health Care Services, and multiple community colleges to expand the LVN and RN apprenticeship program, launch an RN residency program, and provide training for correctional health workers.

A complete list of awardees can be found on CWDB’s website.

By Workforce Development Board of Contra Costa County & Pittsburg Adult Education Center

Get ready for the ultimate East Contra Costa Career & Resource Fair where you’ll have the chance to connect with top employers.

Join us at the East Contra Costa Career & Resource Fair on Wednesday, August 23, 2023! This in-person event is your chance to connect with local employers and explore exciting career opportunities. Located at the Pittsburg Adult Education Center, 1151 Stoneman Avenue in Pittsburg, this fair promises to be a valuable resource for job seekers in the area. Don’t miss out on the chance to network, learn, and potentially secure your dream job. Mark your calendars and be ready to make a great impression.

Register on Eventbrite.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Email your resume to resume@antiochschools.net. For more information visit www.edjoin.org/antiochunified.

Please join us! Current, new, and aspiring educators welcome! For more information visit www.antiochschools.net.

The Antioch Senior Center is looking for Front Desk Assistants and Facility Attendants! Visit: https://tinyurl.com/AntiochRecJobs for more information.

The East Bay Regional Park District is looking to hire over 50 new lifeguards for the 2023 swim season at its 12 East Bay swim facilities, which include lakes, lagoons, and swimming pools. All new lifeguard positions are seasonal, full-time positions from May through September. Anyone ages 16 and over before April 22, 2023, are encouraged to apply. Starting pay is $20.78 per hour. Applications will be accepted through March 27, 2023.

There are six lifeguard testing dates scheduled in March. Participants will be asked to swim 550 yards in under 10 minutes, carry a rescue board 50 feet, retrieve three dive rings under four to seven feet of water, tread water for two minutes using only their legs, and retrieve a 10-pound brick from underwater. There will also be a short informal interview after successful completion of the swim test on the same day.

Testing Schedule:

•    Saturday, March 11, at Buchanan Pool, Pittsburg

•    Sunday, March 12, at Granada High School Pool, Livermore

•    Saturday, March 18, at San Leandro High School Pool, San Leandro

•    Sunday, March 19, at Granada High School Pool, Livermore

•    Saturday, March 25, at Buchanan Pool, Pittsburg

•    Sunday, March 26, at Castro Valley High School Pool, Castro Valley

Participants who pass the tests will be invited to the Park District’s Lifeguard Academy beginning Saturday April 22, 2023, where they will receive paid training and certification in open water lifeguarding. The Lifeguard Academy takes place over five consecutive weekends in April and May, with the swim season beginning in late May for most facilities.

“Working as a lifeguard is one of the few ways a young adult can give back to their community and learn about public service,” said East Bay Regional Park District Aquatics Manager Pete DeQuincy. “Promoting water safety and educating park visitors on how to safely recreate in, on, and around water is paramount in what a lifeguard does.”

Lifeguards can work at any of the Park District’s swim facilities in various cities in Alameda and Contra Costa counties, such as Antioch, Concord, Livermore, Hayward, Castro Valley, Oakland, Alameda, and Berkeley.

For information and how to apply, visit www.ebparks.org/public-safety/lifeguard/jobs.

The East Bay Regional Park District is the largest regional park system in the nation, comprising 73 parks, 55 miles of shoreline, and over 1,300 miles of trails for hiking, biking, horseback riding, and environmental education. The Park District receives more than 25 million visits annually throughout Alameda and Contra Costa counties in the San Francisco Bay Area.