Through several recent initiatives, our workforce development team continues to support practitioners throughout the state, helping to strengthen employment pathways for all Californians. From expanding awareness of apprenticeship funding opportunities to fostering collaborative networks, these efforts demonstrate the power of partnership, innovation, and strategic investment in workforce development.

Inspiring the Next Generation

On June 30, in collaboration with industry partners, FoundationCCC hosted a Career Launch event at Sacramento City College. At the event, Tim Aldinger, Vice President of Workforce Development at FoundationCCC, and Patrick Mulvaney, celebrated chef and FoundationCCC Board Member, showcased exciting career possibilities to local students and job seekers. Attendees explored hands-on workshops led by industry experts, engaged in real-time career challenges to sharpen employability skills, and connected one-on-one with mentors from the culinary arts, healthcare, and advanced manufacturing sectors.

Enhanced Resources for Apprenticeships

Building sustainable workforce programs requires strategic funding and comprehensive resources. In alignment with the Chancellor’s Office Vision 2030 goals to increase equitable access and support, FoundationCCC recently launched an updated version of our Grow Apprenticeship California Funding Matrix, now available on the Grow Apprenticeship California website. This tool enhances our resource library, providing education and workforce practitioners with a detailed guide to federal and state funding opportunities for apprenticeship program planning, implementation, and expansion. The streamlined version of this tool provides greater access to funding information, removing barriers and enabling more organizations throughout the state to create apprenticeship programs.

HIRE Initiative Success Story

One of the 12 HIRE Initiative Hub and Spoke Networks, led by Christ Centered Ministries (CCM) and supported by eight trusted partners across the Los Angeles region, showcases how strategic collaboration can transform workforce development outcomes for justice-involved individuals

Two of these partners, the Los Angeles Mission and Five Keys, already had a strong relationship, which fueled their collaborative innovation. Five Keys generously shared their comprehensive workbook, creating a ripple effect of knowledge exchange. The Los Angeles Mission later used this curriculum to partner with the Worker Education Resource Center, whose leadership was so impressed by the quality of the Five Keys materials that they waived their usual one-year work experience requirement needed for program entry.

The numbers speak to the network’s collective impact: over 2,000 participants enrolled, with 603 entering training programs and 506 successfully completing their training. Most remarkably, 180 participants have earned industry-recognized credentials, with 66 individuals, over half of those credentialed, securing employment aligned with their training.

This partnership illustrates the power of peer-to-peer learning and resource-sharing within the HIRE network, enabling partners to strengthen their own service offerings and open new opportunities for participants through collaborative innovation.

The collaborative efforts between FoundationCCC, the California Workforce Development Board, and the numerous grantees are creating a robust support system for those justice-impacted individuals seeking to reenter the workforce. FoundationCCC supports this work by providing statewide technical assistance, offering enrichment like training, events, and resources to strengthen implementation. 

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These initiatives highlight the importance of building systems that create pathways to prosperity, foster innovation through collaboration, and ensure that every Californian has access to meaningful career opportunities.