“With my mother working all the time and not being home, I had to grow up faster and help take care of things around the house since money was tight,” says Jackson. “This is what led me to begin my job search and why I decided to attend C2C’s job fair back in March.”
After creating an account Jackson was paired with a peer job coach. “I was provided with helpful tips like following up with applications and interview preparation skills, which helped me land my current job at Jack in the Box.” Since beginning his job, Jackson shares that he has gained valuable work experience and “learned how to adapt and work efficiently in a fast-paced environment.”
Jackson is now going in to his senior year of high school with aspirations of going to college at either Sonoma State or Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and majoring in engineering or science. “I am now able to save up for my future and do nicer things in my spare time like go out to eat with friends,” he says.
“I would like to thank CONNECT2Careers as a whole and a special thank you to my job coach,” says Jackson. “They were a huge help in my search for a job and were beneficial to me in countless ways. They helped me become a productive member of society and a better person in general.”
]]>- Bridge to Employment with the City of San Diego
- Creating an Elevator Pitch workshop and City of San Diego panel discussion
- Bite of Reality financial literacy workshop
Funds from the City of San Diego and Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) support these work opportunities, which include positions such as homework program assistant, library assistant, office assistant, outreach assistant, peer advocate, recreation program assistant, STEAM program assistant and more.
On August 3 and 8, participants attended a group interview where C2C staff led training activities, which gave interns an opportunity to practice their networking, problem-solving and teamwork skills. Following the interactive sessions, the young adults had the opportunity to meet mentors from the City of San Diego, who provided information regarding the various work opportunities at their sites. Interns submitted their top four internship choices and mentors selected their top four potential mentees. C2C will match interns to mentors and departments, preparing for work experiences to begin September 19.
The C2C Internship Program with the City of San Diego seeks to empower opportunity youth to explore and learn about the various work opportunities and career pathways available at the City of San Diego. In addition to the work experiences and training, the young adults will also receive supportive services from C2C, including support on professional clothing and transportation costs.
The fall experience is the first of multiple cohorts of the program. Interested young adults should sign up at C2CSD.org to be notified about future cohorts and other opportunities like this one.
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C2C worked with the company to develop a recruitment and internship experience plan. The team worked with Senior Process Engineer Ruishan Chow, to understand the company’s needs. Chow wanted to bring on interns to develop talent within the industry and decided to hire one full-time and one part-time undergraduate intern during the summer and two part-time undergraduate interns during the academic year. After pinpointing the desired qualifications for these internships, the C2C team began the process of recruiting candidates and referring them to Johnson Matthey for consideration.
After reviewing several candidates for the internships, Chow and her team selected Sommers and Bruckman. Chow has since reported her great satisfaction with these two C2C participants and with all the C2C candidates they considered for these internships. “The caliber of the candidates I have seen through CONNECT2Careers has been impressive,” says Chow.
C2C works diligently to find the right candidates for employers and the right work experiences for young adults. The successful launch of the Johnson Matthey internship program is an example of the program’s expertise in this area, evident from the comments that Chow and Sommers share about working with one another:
“Ruishan is a ray of sunshine in the office,” says Sommers.” “She makes me feel welcome and needed every day and is always there to help me with any questions I have.”
“Jade has demonstrated workplace professionalism and emotional maturity when it comes to dealing with people,” Chow says. “The best part about working with her is that she’s not afraid of failure nor taking ownership, and welcomes challenges.”
This respect and mutual goodwill shared by Chow and Sommers is something the C2C team strives to achieve with every job match. Strong partnerships and investments from employers and high motivation and hard work of young adults make successes like this a reality.
If you are an employer looking to fill a position or create work experiences like this, fill out this formand the team will be in touch. If you are a San Diego County resident between the ages of 16 and 24, sign up for C2C to begin your job search.
]]>One-third of San Diego County’s working-age households, more than one million people, do not earn enough money to make ends meet, according to a by the Center on Policy Initiatives, while the cost of living continues to rise in the region. San Diego is ranked as 45% higher than the national average, according to the Council for Community and Economic Research. This gap contributes to the increasing need for people to have pathways to economic mobility.
The nonprofits receiving funding are addressing this gap by connecting youth to first-time jobs, giving young adults pathways to employment and providing second chances to people ready to rebuild careers and lives—work that aligns with the bank’s commitment to building a diverse workforce, in addition to helping people chart a path toward greater economic mobility through access to food, shelter, benefits and other fundamental needs.
“We recognize that addressing immediate basic needs as well as connecting people to long-term success through skill-building and jobs are critical to achieving greater economic mobility,” said Rick Bregman, San Diego market president, Bank of America. “We’re honored to partner with nonprofits like San Diego Workforce Partnership to provide essential resources and career-building opportunities to put people on path to economic success.”
With this investment, C2C will provide training to 100 military-connected young adults ages 16-24. C2C connects young adults with meaningful paid work experiences in a wide variety of career pathways. The program provides work readiness and financial literacy training using Bank of America’s “Better Money Habits” curriculum.
“We are excited to partner with Bank of America to serve our military families. There is a need in San Diego County to provide military-connected young adults with job training, mentoring and work-based learning opportunities,” says Peter Callstrom, CEO of SDWP. “This wonderful investment from Bank of America will enable our C2C team to integrate closely with military families and empower many young adults to explore varied career options, to build skills, and to identify their future career interests.”
Other organizations receiving grants include: Alpha Project For The Homeless, American National Red Cross, Armed Services YMCA at Camp Pendleton, Armed Services YMCA San Diego, Asian Business Association Foundation, Barrio Logan College Institute, Bayside Community Center, Casa De Amparo, Cleantech Education Foundation, Connect Foundation, East County Economic Development Council Foundation, Feeding America San Diego, I Love A Clean San Diego County, International Rescue Committee, Info Line of San Diego County, Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank, Jewish Family Service of San Diego, Junior Achievement of San Diego County, Just In Time For Foster Youth, Kitchens For Good, Lead San Diego, Make-A-Wish Foundation of San Diego, Monarch School Project, National Conflict Resolution Center, National Veterans Transition Services (REBOOT), Ocean Discovery Institute, Operation Homefront, Palomar Health Foundation, Parent Institute For Quality Education, Promises2Kids Foundation, Psycharmor Institute, Reality Changers, Ronald McDonald House Charities of San Diego, San Diego Center For Children, San Diego Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender Community Center, San Diego Mana, San Diego Rescue Mission, San Diego Second Chance Program, San Diego Workforce Partnership, Service Corps of Retired Executives, Serving Seniors, Special Olympics Southern California-San Diego, St. Madeleine Sophie’s Training Center, St. Vincent de Paul Village, Support The Enlisted Project, Teach For America, The Rosie Network, United Way of San Diego County, Urban Corps of San Diego County, USS Midway Museum, Voices For Children, Workshops For Warriors, YMCA of San Diego County.
The grants in the San Diego market are part of nearly $43 million in grants the Bank of America Charitable Foundation is providing across the country to advance economic mobility through workforce development and basic needs. These grants are part of the company’s commitment to responsible growth as it works to improve the financial lives of individuals and families. Philanthropic and volunteer investments play a key role in this effort to build thriving communities. In 2016, Bank of America volunteers logged over18,000 hours in the San Diego market alone.
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Luis Escobar was a high school junior when he learned about CONNECT2Careers (C2C) through the program’s partnership with ,a career planning component to mentorship program, and the City of San Diego’s . Luis wanted to gain real-world work experience and ease himself into the job market, so he took C2C’s My First Job class, a 15-hour soft skills and work-readiness course.
“It is intimidating to see such a large world out there, [but the course] really helped me build confidence in my future,” said Luis. “It gave me the skills to be successful in the real world […] preparing me for the chance to find jobs I had never heard of before.”
After taking the My First Job course, Luis was invited to apply for C2C’s School Break Externship program. He was selected for a winter break work experience with the and a spring break work experience with , an award-winning publisher of graphic novels, comic books and trade paperbacks. During his experience with IDW Publishing, Luis was able to work directly for , the company’s Vice President of Digital Services.
Luis told us his life “has a whole new perspective” after these two work experiences. “These jobs have opened my eyes to the many opportunities in the real world. I can adapt and be well-equipped for anything life has to throw at me. I am more mature and more capable. […] I feel experienced and that I can achieve anything I set my mind to do. [C2C has] opened the doors to future opportunities for me.”
“I want to thank C2C for the once-in-a-lifetime chance to work for organizations that truly make a difference in the world,” Luis told us. “They showed me that truly anything is possible out in the ‘real world.’ Any dream is achievable with passion, heart, and the will to work until it is no longer a thought but a reality.”
If you’d like to find training and work opportunities like Luis did, visit c2csd.org/youth to register and begin your job search today.
]]>Chamber President and CEO Jerry Sanders introduced Career Day, reflecting on his road from police officer to elected official. Ed Hidalgo, Director of World of Work at the , shared his own struggles finding his strengths and talents and encouraged the students to cultivate the things they enjoy and do well and never dwell on those they don’t.
The more than 200 eighth-graders then broke out into sector sessions to hear directly from leaders in San Diego’s top industries and help spark an interest in their future career path. The four highlighted industries were:
- Media and Communications
- Legal
- Health Care
- Science, Technology Engineering and Math (STEM)
Following their choice of two industry panels, students were joined by parents for the remainder of the program. City of San Diego Councilmember Chris Ward was the capstone speaker and the event culminated with a resource fair hosted by the SDWP’s CONNECT2Careers program. Many community partners were on site to share information:
- Biocom Institute
- Big Brothers Big Sisters
- Cal Fresh
- Dreambuilders
- Girl Scouts of San Diego
- International Rescue Committee
- Junior Achievement
- SAY San Diego
- Sylvan Edge
- San Diego Gas & Electric
- Women’s Construction Coalition
On April 22, hosted its seventh annual at O’Farrell Charter School in Southeastern San Diego. Since 2010, the event has helped young women of color develop confidence; explore careers in the Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) fields; connect with academic, employment and other community programs; meet community mentors who provide ongoing mentorship; and hear from local leaders.
, the first African American mayor for the City of Lemon Grove, and came to speak to the over 200 young women in attendance about what it means to be a local leader. In addition to workshops on topics like self-confidence, healthy relationships and human trafficking prevention, CONNECT2Careers (C2C) hosted a Women in STEAM panel with:
- Amanda Cheyney, Lead Program Specialist at the San Diego Workforce Partnership
- , City Outreach Officer for the United States Navy
- Angelique Taylor, Ph.D candidate in Computer Science and Engineering at the University of California, San Diego
Later that day, young women were invited to a STEAM career fair hosted by the and . C2C staff provided attendees between the ages of 16 and 24 the opportunity to sign up for its online job search portal.
“Our goal as women in the community supporting these young ladies has always been to set an example, be a resource and constantly support them during their times of need,” says Tinesia Conwright, Founder and Executive Director of DETOUR and member of SDWP’s Youth and Young Adult Committee. “We strive to ensure they are equipped with information and experiences to help them tackle many of the challenges they face each day. This year was truly full of inspiration, motivation and encouragement.”
At the end of the event, Cheyney and C2C Training Specialist Taryell Simmons, were honored with the program’s 2017 Community Impact Award for their work supporting DETOUR youth with career opportunities during the past year.
If you are hosting an event for young people in San Diego and would like C2C to provide speakers, panelists or other resources, contact Amber Shevin, C2C Training Coordinator, at .
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On May 11, 2017, teamed up with to provide an all-day STEM Career Connections event for over 175 San Diego high school students. These students were introduced to the various careers at Illumina and given the latest updates on genome sequencing technology.
The day started off with a performance by the Music Notes, a group of high school teachers who rapped about the importance of math and the human genome.
Illumina VP of Corporate Marketing & Communications Karen Possemato then welcomed the group to Illumina and summarized what the day would look like.
Multiple interactive stations were set up for the students, ranging in fields from forensics and oncology to pandemics. Students gained insight into genetics as they applied their classroom knowledge to real-world situations. They were led on a campus tour of Illumina, where the students got a first-hand look at genome sequencing labs, as well as where the technology manufacturing takes place.
Students were then led back to the amphitheater where City of San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer encouraged students to follow a STEM career path. Mayor Faulconer promoted working in San Diego, which is becoming an internationally renowned hub for biotechnology companies.
After a healthy lunch, the students got to listen and ask questions to a career panel of the various jobs at Illumina. From a researcher to a genetic counselor, and even the social media side of STEM, these students received expert advice from a powerful, female-dominated panel.
CONNECT2Careers and the were in attendance, encouraging students to search for opportunities and mentors, while getting the valuable hands-on experience they need to be successful in a STEM career.
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The program for the celebration included an address from Luis Escobar, one of the more outspoken externs in the cohort. Luis shared some of the valuable lessons he learned through his externship experiences and thanked C2C for the “once in a lifetime opportunity.”
The externs also heard from Karmin Noar, Director of C2C, and Dwayne Crenshaw, CEO of and host of several externs in both the winter and spring. Both spoke about their very first work experiences and urged the externs to continue growing and developing their career paths and continue taking advantage of opportunities like the externship program.
Perhaps the most interesting insight that was shared at the celebration was that of one of the parents in attendance. Nicolas Arciniega shared his perspective on his daughter Pamela’s participation in the program at length with the C2C team.
Arciniega shared that Pamela can be shy at times and that he immediately noticed a difference when she began her winter break externship with the . She was able to meet and interact with executives, attend meetings and shadow several different employees, all of which increased her self-confidence in the world of work.
He further noted the merits of the program when describing Pamela’s Spring Break experience with . He said that, prior to Pamela’s externship, he hadn’t known the comic book industry even existed. He also mentioned that as a child, Pamela loved libraries and was constantly reading, so being able to see this interest closely tied to a practical career path was an eye-opener for both of them.
By creating these learning experiences for young adults as well as their family members, Arciniega noticed that the externship program brought his family closer together. “You’re not just teaching Pamela about work,” he said. “You are giving us something to talk about together, which gives us a chance to relate and unite the family.”
Arciniega stressed several times how proud he is of Pamela, noting how responsible she has been throughout the program. He mentioned that Pamela herself made a choice to pass up a family vacation to complete the externship program. She stayed by herself in San Diego for the first time so that she could report to IDW Publishing during her Spring Break.
C2C is thrilled to partner with the in providing these experiences for San Diego’s young people, and to see and hear how the externs have grown from their externships. The team would like to thank the 2016-2017 cohort of externs for their participation and dedication to this program, as well as the employers who provided support by hosting externship participants.
For more information on hiring a C2C participant, contact c2csd@workforce.org
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When she started looking for employment opportunities at the age of 16, Sahara went to her local library for resources. It was there she saw a flyer for CONNECT2Careers and learned about the program.
In November 2015, Sahara was invited to the training and hiring event for the School Break Externship program. She was nervous about attending the event because it was her first time meeting and interviewing with employers. After participating in the résumé, elevator pitches and practicing interview workshops at the event Sahara told us she started to feel more confident in her ability to interview with employers.
Sahara was accepted to the program. She was selected to extern at the Outlets at the Border in San Ysidro during winter break and at Jewish Family Service of San Diego during spring break. These experiences provided her with the ability to try out careers in two very different industries. Sahara shared that these experiences provided “great exposure to learn how it would be to work at a nonprofit and in the retail industry.”
With the skills she developed during the externship program, Sahara became more confident about her chances of getting hired in the future. In the summer of 2016, she began working as a Youth Outreach Team Member for the Youth Engaging Southeast (YES) San Diego program through the Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation. In this role, she focused on identifying the needs of the people living in the Diamond District by collecting surveys to provide feedback about future neighborhood developments.
Following the YES program, she applied for the LiveWell San Diego County Internship program. Sahara was placed at the Human and Health Services Agency (HHSA) in Lemon Grove. During this experience, she applied her retail customer service experience to help clients navigate services inside the HHSA office, and she built up her communication skills by greeting new clients as they came in to the office.
At the conclusion of her HHSA internship, Sahara began applying for her next opportunity. She found out about an opportunity to serve in the CONNECT2Careers office as a Peer Job Coach, applied to the position, and was offered the role. Sahara often tells us how happy she is to be able to give back to the program that’s helped her find so many career opportunities. She enjoys assisting other participants during their job search process just as she was helped when joining the program.
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