Subsidized On-the-Job Training a Win-Win
 Tejas Patel, President of Laksh, Inc., recently received the 2015 Champion for Prosperity Award for upgrading the skills of seven job seekers through the WDB-funded On-the-Job Training Program (OJT). According to Mr. Patel, OJT allows him to pay an honorable wage to workers as they go through a six- to seven-month orientation period to learn the systems at his freight transportation company. In addition to enabling a company to get to know a worker to see if the fit is right (and vice-versa), OJT helps to reduce employee onboarding costs. Those OJT savings enable an employer to invest the money elsewhere-to expand the business and hire more people down the road. At the same time, job seekers receive the instruction and support they need to transition from a previous career and acquire new skills. Hear more about OJT from Mr. Patel and Teresa Johnson, Ventura Adult and Continuing Education, on the September edition of Workforce Wednesday. Or call 866-904-9362 to learn about OJT.
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Manufacturers Open Doors to Careers
 More than 300 Ventura County students and teachers from seven high schools had an up-close look at the dynamic world of high-tech manufacturing as part of National Manufacturing Day on October 2. Emphasizing the importance of math skills and hands-on learning experience in preparing for manufacturing jobs, representatives from Alcoa, Amgen, Applied Powdercoat, Dynamic Automation, Haas Automation, Milgard Manufacturing, and industrial programs at Ventura College conducted site tours and responded to questions. The Manufacturing Roundtable of Ventura County partnered with the Workforce Development Board and the Ventura County of Office of Education to participate in a nation-wide effort to address a serious, growing shortage of skilled labor in manufacturing and to stimulate interest in preparing for high-paying manufacturing jobs and rewarding careers. Read more on Manufacturing Day in this Simi Valley Acorn article. See more tour highlights in the Ventura County Star.
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Through WDB Rapid Response funding and services, in collaboration with Simi Valley Business Assistance, the Economic Development Collaborative-Ventura County (EDC-VC) and the Small Business Development Center (SBDC), AeroVironment was able to offer much-needed lean process improvement training and export compliance training to more than 80 AeroVironment workers. The employees learned new skills to improve efficiencies and streamline processes, resulting in higher production over shorter periods and reduced lead time for product sell-off. WDB Rapid Response funding supports no-cost and low-cost services that connect employers to local resources and incentives for retaining employees and strengthening businesses. To see how your business could benefit, contact the 
Schools in Ventura County have received an impressive total of $30 million in the past two years through four competitive California Career Pathways Trust Grants: Alliance for Linked Learning, Gold Coast Consortium, VC Innovates, and VC Innovates-E3. Collectively, the grants will benefit 55 high schools and middle schools, transforming the education system to develop and sustain 221 identified career pathways that will lead to jobs or higher education. Through regional collaboration across multiple levels of education, alignment of courses, and articulation with community colleges, Ventura County students will have access to integrated academics and career technical education for transitioning to jobs and higher education. Employer involvement is critical to offering the hands-on experiences that will prepare students to enter the workforce. To learn more about how employers can offer opportunities for job shadowing, internships, site visits, and other experiences for our future workforce, go to 
