Business + Education = Skilled Workforce
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.

Considering layoffs?
Anticipating a layoff situation at your company? Call right away for assistance. Rapid Response professionals are ready to work with you and your employees, offering an entire network of free resources that might even help to avoid the layoff. It all starts with a confidential, no-cost transition planning session. Whether one employee or 50 employees might lose their jobs, the sooner you contact Rapid Response, the better. For more information, call 800-500-7705.

On-the-job training is smart business
According to Christy Norton, Business Services Manager for the American Job Center of California in Ventura County, using on-the-job training (OJT) is just "smart business." In a March 30th interview, Ms. Norton said that OJT is "a proven workforce development model [that] helps employers to access referrals of qualified OJT candidates." OJT opportunities are structured to respond to a company's business operation and to offset the associated expenses of new employee training. Listen to the interview and, for more on-the-job training information, visit the Workforce Development Board website at workforceventuracounty.org/OJT or call (800) 500-7705.

Nominations open until May 2
Do you know an individual, department, organization or collaborative partnership whose actions or ideas help to build a strong workforce in Ventura County? Let us know with a 2016 WDB Award nomination. At our WDB Annual Meeting on June 26, we will honor exceptional members of the Ventura County community with WDB Awards in several categories: WDB Youth Opportunity Award, WDB Collaborative Action Award, WDB Champion for Prosperity Award, and WDB Leadership Award. Nominations are due by May 2nd. Details and nomination forms are available on the WDB website.

Congratulations!
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.
 
Workforce Update is brought to you by the Workforce Development Board of Ventura County (WDB).The Workforce Development Board administers federal funds that help to support American Job Center locations and other free adult, youth, and employer programs and services in Ventura County.

Workforce Development Board
Bringing People and Opportunities Together
55 Partridge Drive, Ventura, California 93003
805.477.5306 or visit workforceventuracounty.org
 

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Business loans, one-on-one consulting, seminars on manufacturing or international trade ----  these are just a few of the free and low-cost resources in Ventura County to help grow your business. Check them out or listen to testimonials from businesses that have used these resource.

According to Gallup, Employee Referrals are a Key Source for Talented Workers.

Simplifying tech leads to a better employee experience, according to this article in Entrepreneur, which cites Deloitte studies.


Fast Company Advice:
Why Employees and Management Have Such Different Ideas about Company Culture

Six Steps to Tame Your Email Overload
 

March
2016
Unemployment
Not Seasonally Adjusted

U.S. = 5.1%
California = 5.6%
Ventura County = 5.0%

Source:

 


Tom Spence
KVTA 1590-AM

May 25 at 8:40AM

Topic:  the value of internships to Ventura County employers

Click to listen to April broadcast and hear Brian Gabler and John Fraser talk about how cities work with local businesses to help them grow.
 

 April 28, 8am
WDB Board Meeting
at VCCF

May 4, 3pm
Youth Council meeting
at HSA

May 6, 8am
Healthcare Committee at VCCF

May 20, 8am
Clean/Green Committee
at VCCF

June 8, 8am
Manufacturing Committee
at VCCF

Interested in helping to develop Ventura County's future workforce? Join us at one of our committee meetings. For meeting specifics, visit the Workforce Development Board and click on meeting calendar.