JVS is thrilled to announce that we have been awarded a $5 million High Road Training Partnership (HRTP) grant from the California Workforce Development Board. This grant will enable JVS to expand our healthcare training programs across the state and foster greater worker empowerment by leveraging strong partnerships with University of California (UC) medical campuses.

Over 2-3 years, JVS will leverage the HRTP award to replicate our highly successful collaboration with UC San Francisco; a partnership that has positively impacted the lives of hundreds of local jobseekers from historically disinvested San Francisco communities.  

Since 2009, JVS has partnered with UCSF and the San Francisco Human Service Agency on the EXCEL Medical Administrative Assistant training program. This 6-month, no-cost training prepares jobseekers for quality healthcare sector jobs through skills development, connections, and paid work-based learning at UCSF. After over 20 cohorts, the partnership expanded to offer a two-track advancement training program to enable EXCEL alumni to advance in their careers and enter analyst and project manager roles.

By extending this partnership model to other UC medical campuses, we aim to address their workforce needs and develop occupation-specific training programs that prioritize the well-being and advancement of workers while simultaneously building the healthcare workforce of the future.

“JVS is immensely grateful for the generous support from the California Workforce Development Board,” said Lisa Countryman-Quiroz, CEO of JVS.  “At the heart of our mission is the commitment to fostering worker empowerment and increasing access to economic mobility. This funding will allow us to build on our extensive experience in developing successful regional training programs, creating a pathway to a more prosperous future for jobseekers in the healthcare industry.”

Since 2020, JVS has been awarded a total of $6,824,600 in HRTP funding. These awards have been highly impactful in laying the groundwork for transformative initiatives across California. The creation of BAYWORK in 2009, a regional consortium comprising over 40 Bay Area-based water and wastewater agencies, has been instrumental in designing effective training programs and bridging workforce training gaps while promoting worker empowerment. Similarly, the establishment of IEWorks in 2020 further exemplified JVS’s commitment to fostering responsive regional training programs that prioritize the well-being and rights of workers.

“It is exciting to be able to invest $5 million towards building career pathways that ensure success for our participants and their communities, while also filling a critical need in the California workforce,” shared Wylie Liu, Executive Director of UCSF’s Center for Community Engagement and lead for their Anchor Institution Mission. “This collaboration is a win for the entire state, and we look forward to continuing to work with JVS.”