Over the past two years, the state of California has awarded more than $38 million in public education grants to help build regional career pathways in Ventura County. Through collaboration between employers and educators, educational programs are being developed and aligned to create a local pipeline of skilled, adaptable workers to help businesses compete in the complex, changing global economy. We hear from our Workforce Development Board (WDB) members that not having a ready, reliable local talent pool is costing employers money and productivity. To that end, WDB sector committees (healthcare, manufacturing, clean/green) are engaging employers in public discussions to provide educators with input on labor market data, local workforce demand, entry-level skill requirements, relevant content for curriculum development and career education, and ways to engage employers in offering career-related experiences. Read the complete article here.

The Pacific Coast Business Times reported that four Ventura County businesses received tax credits for creating jobs! Kudos to PackIt LLC in Westlake (19 jobs), C.D. Lyon in Ventura & Santa Maria (19 jobs), Western Saw Manufacturers in Oxnard (13 jobs), and L-Acoustics in Camarillo and Thousand Oaks (9 jobs)! For more information about the California Competes Tax Credit, go to www.calcompetes.ca.gov.