California Invests $1.5 Million in Technical Assistance to Support Employment Programs

SACRAMENTO — A $1.5 million technical assistance grant is being awarded to strengthen programs that support individuals facing significant employment barriers. The funding will help address implementation challenges and guide program decisions to better meet the needs of job seekers. The Employment Development Department (EDD) awarded the funds to Jobs for the Future (JFF), a statewide nonprofit, as part of an Employment Pathways Technical Assistance (EPTA) grant.    

JFF will provide support to ten workforce development programs that serve individuals who use English as a second language, are homeless, immigrants, justice-involved, veterans, have disabilities, or are young adults.

"JFF is honored to receive this award and to partner with Employment Training Pathways awardees to expand quality workforce opportunities for Californians facing systemic barriers," said JFF Associate Vice President Parina Parikh. "Alongside the International Rescue Committee and Social Policy Research Associates, we look forward to helping grantees strengthen their programs and advance systems changes that better serve priority populations."

In addition to supporting the organizations, JFF will also lead a cross-program commission, bringing together technical assistance providers from across the State to share lessons learned, produce data-informed insights, and help shape future workforce investments and policy decisions.

The awardee was selected through a competitive application and review process. Additional information about the awardee is provided below:

Awardee	Award Amount	Counties	Contact Person
Jobs for the Future	$1,500,000.00	Statewide	Parina Parikh Associate Vice President (617) 728-4446 pparikh@jff.org

This grant is 100 percent federally funded by a grant totaling $1,500,000 from the U.S. Department of Labor.