FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 15, 2024
MEDIA CONTACT
Katie Vavao, Katie.Vavao@cv.ca.gov (916) 584-3620
California’s Initiative to Strengthen Career Pathways Has People Talking
The newly announced Corps to Career initiative, an innovative way to help California Service Corps Alumni launch fulfilling careers while meeting the state’s workforce needs, has created a buzz.
Los Angeles, Calif. – State and federal officials, employers and educators created quite a buzz on Friday when they announced a new public-private partnership initiative for economic opportunity and workforce development that will launch meaningful careers. The pilot 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.
The launch of Corps to Career, a component of Governor Gavin Newsom’s broader strategy to further economic opportunity and workforce development throughout California, has gotten employers and service members talking.
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING:
“California’s greatness has always been driven by its people. 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.” — Wade Crowfoot, California Natural Resources Agency Secretary
“The LA Kings and AEG are proud to be inaugural partners of Corps to Career, an initiative of California Volunteers, Office of the Governor. We believe the innovative strategy of creating tangible opportunities for California service members to network directly with employers will create a diverse, talented pipeline for the LA Kings. The Corps to Career formula of combining service members with networks, deep employer partnerships and career development training on soft skills that employers value has the potential to be a model for not only Los Angeles, but California and the nation.” — Kelly Cheeseman, Chief Operating Officer, LA Kings and AEG Sports
“The California Dept of Education is proud to be an employer partner for Corps to Career. As California State Superintendent of Public Instruction, I believe their 3,000 #CaliforniansForAll College Corps Fellows, many of whom work directly with students in classrooms during their service year, are a critical pipeline to provide our students across California the diverse, talented educators and mental health school counselors they deserve.” — Tony Thurmond, California State Superintendent of Public Instruction
“My spark for pursuing a career in education came from serving as a tutor through AmeriCorps California. 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.” — Abelardo Juarez, AmeriCorps California Alumni
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.
“The #CaliforniansForAll College Corps supported my success as a student while developing skills necessary for a career change. 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.” — Janet Parga, #CaliforniansForAll College Corps Fellow.
“Our thanks to Governor Newsom and his team for prioritizing and creating real career pathways in the blue economy. We are honored that AltaSea has been chosen as the Los Angeles home to pilot this new initiative. With the expansive growth of the blue economy, as seen here every day at AltaSea, there are significant opportunities for employment and this program will help provide the training and resources necessary for our next generation to have sustainable, good-paying careers.” — Terry Tamminen, AltaSea President and CEO
“As an intermediary laser focused on equitable economic mobility, UNITE-LA is proud to partner with California Volunteers Fund in collaboration with our rising workforce to ensure inclusive onramps to high mobility careers in growing sectors.” — Alysia Bell, UNITE-LA President
“The impact of our partnership with California Volunteers has been transformational for the students from CSUDH. In addition to the impact of College Corps the last few years, the recent launch of Corps to Career led to the creation of full-time jobs with pathways for upward mobility that two of our CSUDH alumni, Nuria and one of our speakers at the launch, Janet, both of whom recently secured in a field they were passionate about – sustainability. Thanks to our partnership with our university, #CaliforniansForAll College Corps, and the employers who have created partnerships through Corps to Career we have created a seamless pathway that has the potential to be a model across California. As our students participate in College Corps, they earn money that allows them to accrue less student loan debt and identify pathways to meaningful careers that lead to socioeconomic mobility and generational wealth. We are incredibly grateful to College Corps, and that CSUDH has been a part of the innovative Corps to Career pilot we are formally launching today, for providing this wonderful opportunity to our students and look forward to sustaining and nurturing this partnership for many years to come.” — Thomas A. Parham, California State University, Dominguez Hills President
“I am so grateful for California Volunteers and the #CaliforniansForAll College Corp team at CSU Dominguez Hills. I’m excited to have landed this opportunity and be the first of hopefully thousands to come!” — Nuria Meda Safar, #CaliforniansForAll College Corps Fellow
“Growing a domestic workforce for solar manufacturing requires an all hands on deck approach. We’re excited to be partnering with California Volunteers and supporting the Corps to Career pipeline to get young graduates into well-paying, meaningful jobs.” — Scott Graybeal, CEO Caelux
“LA County is proud to partner with Corps to Career. We look forward to having California Service Corps Alumni join our mission of improving the quality of life for the communities we serve.” — Lisa M. Garrett, Director of Personnel, County of Los Angeles.
“The Corps to Career initiative is vital to building a diverse career pipeline of the future for our region. To develop a robust career pipeline that aligns the demands of the private sector with the skillsets needed from our future workforce, LAEDC has been working closely with regional employers like Microsoft to establish certification programs in key areas such as AI that can create a clear career pathway for Angelenos. We hope more employers throughout the Los Angeles region will join in this effort to safeguard and bolster the vitality of our regional economy.” — Stephen Cheung President & CEO – Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC)
“Los Angeles is an incredible city and our future lies with the potential greatness of our children, students and young adults. The YMCA is committed to supporting these young people and is proud to partner with California Volunteers to make their vision a reality. We are honored to be an inaugural partner as our community launches Corps to Career to empower all Angelinos to have access to a career of their choice. Together, we can create a pipeline of outstanding, diverse talent and most importantly, a pathway to upward mobility for those who deserve it most.” — Victor Dominguez, President & CEO of YMCA of Metropolitan Los Angeles
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 OF CORPS TO CAREERS LAUNCH:
RELATED FOOTAGE AND INTERVIEWS:
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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.
