California Doubles Down on Paid Service to Meet California’s Workforce Needs

California creates Corps to Career, an innovative way to help California Service Corps Alumni launch fulfilling careers while meeting the state’s workforce needs.

Los Angeles, Calif. – Today, California Chief Service Officer Josh Fryday, U.S. Treasury Deputy Secretary Wally Adeyemo, GO-Biz Director Dee Dee Myers and California Natural Resources Agency Secretary Wade Crowfoot announced the creation of Corps to Career, an innovative public-private partnership launching meaningful careers for California Service Corps Alumni. The initiative promises to be another part of Governor Gavin Newsom’s broader strategy to create a California for all, furthering economic opportunity and workforce development throughout California.

“Through Corps to Career, we now have employers from all sectors of our economy saying they value the experience, skills and commitment of California Service Corps members to meet our critical workforce needs and want to strengthen their career pathways,” said California Chief Service Officer Josh Fryday. “The Corps to Career initiative shows us when we invest in paid service opportunities, we invest in our future teachers, tradespeople, business leaders and the entire economy.”

California Chief Service Officer Josh Fryday, United States Treasury Deputy Secretary Wally Adeyemo, GO-Biz Director Dee Dee Myers, California Natural Resources Agency Secretary Wade Crowfoot, California Service Corps Members and employer partners gather together to announce the launch of Corps to Career in Los Angeles.

Corps to Career is the latest component in Governor Newsom’s larger strategy to accelerate economic and workforce projects throughout the state. Other efforts include Master Plan for Career Education and the Council for Career Education , to ensure Californians have career pathways, develop the skills and find even more opportunities to power economic growth and create more resilient communities in priority sectors such as education, trades and climate.

“Innovative public-private partnerships like Corps to Career are key to connecting a skilled workforce to employers hiring for good-paying jobs that can serve as the first stop on a successful career path,” said Wally Adeyemo, United States Treasury Deputy Secretary. “As I travel across the country, I consistently hear from companies, nonprofits, and state and local governments about the need to both give workers the skills needed to succeed in the 21st century and economy and match them with their future employers. California Volunteers and the Corps to Career initiative achieve both goals.”

Corps to Career will provide eligible California Service Corps Alumni with a curated job board of employer partners, networking opportunities, career development workshops and other resources to help match them with meaningful jobs.

“California’s greatness has always been driven by its people,” said California Natural Resources Agency Secretary Wade Crowfoot. “Now, young leaders are stepping up across California to confront climate change and other key challenges, catalyzed by Governor Newsom’s California Service Corps. Today’s announcement expands this impact, by connecting these young leaders into impactful careers in public service. The future success of these leaders means a brighter future for everyone in California.”

(From left to right) California Service Corps Members, GO-Biz Director Dee Dee Myers, California Chief Service Officer Josh Fryday and United States Treasury Deputy Secretary Wally Adeyemo gather to discuss the importance of connecting California Service Corps Alumni with prospective employers at the announcement of the Corps to Career initiative in Los Angeles.

Each employer partner has expressed an interest in hiring California Service Corps Alumni and will have a dedicated staff member to support and streamline the application process for them. Partner employers reflect California’s economy by including a mix of government, education, non-profit and business sectors:

Government Partners: Los Angeles Mayor’s Office, Office of Los Angeles City Council Members, various City of Los Angeles departments; California State Parks; CalFIRE, Los Angeles County Department of Economic Opportunity and Department of Human Resources, California Conservation Corps, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Department of Energy, California Natural Resources Agency, and Department of Water Resources.
Education Partners: California Department of Education, Alder Graduate School of Education, TeachStart, and University of Southern California.
Nonprofit Partners: AltaSea, YMCA of Metropolitan Los Angeles, Para Los Niños, Center for Nonprofit Management, UNITE-LA, Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation, LA Cleantech Incubator, and Blue Shield of California
Business Partners: California Resources Corporation, Caelux, LA Kings, and Tesla.

Today’s announcement was followed by a signing ceremony commemorating the Corps to Career partnership agreement and a career fair connecting more than 100 California Service Corps Members with more than 20 employer partners.

Speakers on-hand for this announcement included members of Governor Gavin Newsom’s Council for Career Education, including Chief Service Officer Josh Fryday and GO-Biz Director Dee Dee Myers. The council is working to empower all Californians – youth and adult learners alike – to discover, prepare for and connect to careers.

“As a global leader in innovation and talent, California is always looking for new ways to identify and develop the companies and workforce that will power our world-beating economy,” said GO-Biz Director Dee Dee Myers. “Along with the Governor’s Master Plan for Career Education, Corps to Career will help strengthen career pathways, prioritize hands-on learning and hone real-life skills for Californians through streamlined collaboration and partnership across state government and the private sector.”

Currently, the opportunity is available in the Los Angeles area with the hope to expand Corps to Career across California in the coming years and potentially serve as a model for the nation. The current pilot will be open to #CaliforniansForAll College Corps Members and Alumni from CSU Dominguez Hills, Cal State LA, CSU Long Beach, Cal Poly Pomona, UCLA, as well as California Climate Action Corps Fellows and Alumni in the Los Angeles area.

“My spark for pursuing a career in education came from serving as a tutor through AmeriCorps California,” said Abelardo Juarez, AmeriCorps California Alumni. “The classroom experience I gained at AmeriCorps provided me with new skills and practice. It also allowed me to help students that have a similar ethnic background as me. The experience made me realize that we need more men of color in the classroom, which became another piece of encouragement to pursue a career in education. The culture, community, and language were something that I found crucial in my connection to helping my students and community. I cannot thank AmeriCorps enough for being a great stepping-stone in my education journey.”

California Service Corps is the largest service force in the nation, consisting of four paid service programs: #CaliforniansForAll College Corps, California Climate Action Corps, #CaliforniansForAll Youth Jobs Corps and AmeriCorps California. Combined, it is a force larger than the Peace Corps and is currently recruiting 10,000 people. Learn more and join at CAServiceCorps.com .

“The #CaliforniansForAll College Corps supported my success as a student while developing skills necessary for a career change,” said Janet Parga, #CaliforniansForAll College Corps Fellow. “Through the program, I have been introduced to the wonders of a Blue Economy and I am now working at AltaSea an Ocean Pathways Coordinator, where I have the privilege to share my experience and hope to inspire others to pursue climate action.”

Learn more and browse the pilot Corps to Career job board at https://www.californiavolunteersfund.org/corpstocareer.

INTERVIEWS AVAILABLE IN SPANISH AND ENGLISH: California Chief Service Officer Josh Fryday. Contact Katie Vavao, Katie.Vavao@cv.ca.gov, (916) 584-3620. 

LIVESTREAM:

Full Length Press Conference

RELATED FOOTAGE AND INTERVIEWS:

B-roll: Corps to Career signing ceremony, career fair, and workshops
B-Roll: California Service Corps
Interview: California Chief Service Officer Josh Fryday
Interview: Thomas N. shares his Corps to Career Journey
Interview: Janet P. shares her Corps to Career Journey

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About California Volunteers, Office of the Governor  
Led by California Chief Service Officer Josh Fryday, California Volunteers, Office of the Governor  empowers Californians to take action to improve their communities. California Volunteers is the state office tasked with recruiting Californians to engage in public service.  

About California Volunteers Fund
California Volunteers Fund builds public-private partnerships on behalf of California Volunteers, Office of the Governor. Our mission is to increase the quality, scale, and sustainability of #CaliforniansForAll programs tackling the state’s pressing opportunities through service, volunteerism, and direct action.