The city of Sacramento is putting $10 million toward a new workforce training effort aimed at alleviating the economic turmoil caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to www.bizjournals.com.
Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg and Councilman Eric Guerra announced the proposal Aug. 25, and it was passed by the Sacramento City Council that evening. The program would use money from the $90 million pool of funding the city received from the federal CARES Act in March.
City officials are looking to serve up to 11,120 individuals who are unemployed or looking to change careers.
“We already knew we had challenges in public health in our communities in need before the pandemic,” Guerra said at a news conference Aug. 25. “We have an opportunity to fix those gaps to make sure we can quickly up-skill people into constructions jobs, manufacturing jobs and health care jobs.”
The new workforce development program’s $10.1 million would be split into five categories: $3 million for construction and trades training; $3 million for digital skills programs; $1.7 million for job placement and supportive services; $1.6 million for youth training; and $800,000 for health care training.
Allocations of funds will be made to construction industry groups, including the North State Building Industry Association, Sacramento-Sierra’s Building & Construction Trades Council, GRID Alternatives and Northern California Construction Training.
California experienced the largest drop in construction jobs in the U.S. in July. Despite the uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Steinberg said he was confident in the sector’s recovery and “pent-up demand” for new projects after the pandemic subsides.
