{"id":72014,"date":"2025-04-14T14:36:49","date_gmt":"2025-04-14T21:36:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=72014"},"modified":"2025-04-14T14:36:49","modified_gmt":"2025-04-14T21:36:49","slug":"deo-announces-32-million-investment-in-workforce-initiatives-supporting-over-2300-workers-through-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=72014","title":{"rendered":"DEO Announces $32 Million Investment in Workforce Initiatives Supporting Over 2,300 Workers through 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

LOS ANGELES, CA \u2014\u00a0<\/strong>Today, the Los Angeles County Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) announced a groundbreaking\u00a0$32 million\u00a0<\/strong>investment that will support\u00a02,300<\/strong>\u00a0workers across the County by 2026. This investment includes the launch of two brand-new workforce initiatives: the\u00a0Fire Recovery and Resilience Workforce Program\u00a0<\/strong>and the\u00a0High Road Training Partnership (HRTP) Fund<\/strong>. Together, these County programs address pressing and long-term workforce needs at scale, offering rapid reemployment for workers displaced by the January windstorms and wildfires, ensuring a skilled and sufficient workforce for the rebuild, and ensuring pathways to quality jobs and high-growth industries for all Angelenos.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom disaster recovery jobs to career-building training, we\u2019re making sure people have the tools to rebuild their lives and futures,\u201d\u00a0said Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath.<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cThis $32 million investment\u2014made possible from state and federal partnerships\u2014reflects our commitment to an inclusive economy and to standing with workers every step of the way.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a region, we have faced immense challenges, from COVID-19 to the recent wildfires. We have also seen the incredible resilience of our communities and know that we can only hasten the recovery and set our sights on a brighter future, together,\u201d\u00a0said Director Kelly LoBianco\u00a0of the LA County Department of Economic Opportunity<\/strong>. \u201cWe are grateful to our Board, our State, our regional Workforce Development Boards, and partners for coming together, braiding funds, and helping the County and our region launch initiatives that will support thousands of workers hardest hit in the recent years with quality programming and quality jobs.\u201d<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Fire Recovery and Resilience Workforce Program<\/strong>\u00a0is a direct\u00a0$14.2 million<\/strong>\u00a0investment in the impacted and dislocated workers from the windstorms and wildfires. These funds enable DEO and the County\u2019s network of Workforce Development Boards and America\u2019s Job Centers of California (AJCCs) to offer 3-to-5 month paid work with County departments like Beaches and Harbors, Parks and Recreation, and Public Works and other partners supporting recovery efforts like cleanup and humanitarian outreach as well as job training, transitional work, supportive services and stipends, and connection to jobs in impacted and growing sectors like hospitality and construction. Participants in the 174 temporary subsidized employment opportunities will receive $20 to $27 per hour, benefits, and access to supportive services valued at up to $34,000. The program will support\u00a01,000 total workers<\/strong>\u00a0to start, who can visit the East San Gabriel AJCC or the West LA AJCC to sign up and access programs and services that meet their unique needs. This program is part of a $20 million investment by the State\u2019s Employment Development Department (EDD) in the region\u2019s recovery through its National Dislocated Worker Grant (NDWG) and Additional Assistance Grant Programs.<\/p>\n

\u201cWorking in collaboration with our city and county partners, EDD\u00a0was able to quickly get funds to assist with the recovery of the devastating LA wildfires.\u00a0 These grants will provide necessary resources to workers, ensuring they can focus on rebuilding their community\u201d said\u00a0Director Nancy Farias of the California Employment Development Department.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The\u00a0HRTP Fund<\/strong>\u00a0provides\u00a0$17.8 million<\/strong>\u00a0in grants for industry-led, worker-informed training models that inspire equity, job quality, and climate resilience in our region, targeting participants from historically disinvested communities as well as those impacted by COVID-19 and the recent windstorms and wildfires. The HRTP Fund, implemented in partnership with Dalberg LLC and the UCLA Labor Center, will support an estimated\u00a020 HRTPs<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a01,300 workers<\/strong>\u00a0through those programs. HRTPs are an evidence-based approach to workforce development that elevate collaborative partnerships with employers and industry, workers and worker organizations, educational institutions and training providers, and the AJCCs and public workforce system for design and delivery of programs. All of these program entities may serve as lead applicants for the HRTP Fund. The program builds off the California Workforce Development Board\u2019s framework and is part of the County\u2019s $34 million investment in HRTPs, including active programs in Aerospace, Healthcare, Creative Economy, Early Care and Education, Construction, and Technology and leverages federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and the County\u2019s Care Fire Community Investment (CFCI) dollars. HRTPs and their participants will not only access no-cost training, program stipends, and wages for work-based experiences, which may vary by program, all participants have access to also apply to a Worker Equity Fund, as needed, which offers flexible cash assistance that support retention in training and job search.<\/p>\n

\u201cDalberg, a strategic advisory firm dedicated exclusively to social impact, has worked with job training programs all around the world \u2013 and the HRTP model is the best approach we\u2019ve seen. Serving as the third-party administrator for the Los Angeles County Department of Economic Opportunity\u2019s HRTP Fund has enabled us to help individuals across the county secure jobs that not only support them and their families, but also, creates pathways towards lasting prosperity,\u201d\u00a0said Joe Dougherty, Partner at Dalberg.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe UCLA Labor Center is proud to support the LA County HRTP Fund\u2014an essential investment in expanding equitable workforce pathways and advancing economic opportunity for historically underrepresented communities. We\u2019re excited to build on the California Workforce Development Board\u2019s groundbreaking HRTP model here in our region, alongside LA County\u2019s efforts to modernize the workforce system. This Fund reflects a forward-thinking approach\u2014comprehensive, industry-informed, and equity-centered\u2014that aligns training with real-world needs and elevates the voices of workers and frontline communities,\u201d\u00a0said Dr. Ana Luz Gonz\u00e1lez-V\u00e1squez, Project Director for POWER in Workforce Development at the UCLA Labor Center.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Both of these programs are open as of today, April 14th<\/sup>.<\/p>\n

For the\u00a0Fire Recovery and Resilience Workforce Program<\/strong>, interested workers, hiring employers, and training and community partners may go to\u00a0opportunity.lacounty.gov\/FireWorkforce\/<\/a>\u00a0to learn more and sign an interest form and\/or visit an AJCC to sign-up and get started. Temporary work, job training, and supportive services area available now and on a rolling basis as new hiring and training opportunities as part of the program come online.<\/p>\n

For the\u00a0HRTP Fund<\/strong>, interested partnerships can apply now at:\u00a0opportunity.lacounty.gov\/hrtp\/<\/a>. DEO is hosting a series of informational sessions\u2014both virtual and in-person\u2014throughout the County, starting April 14th<\/sup>\u00a0through April 17th<\/sup>\u00a0in each Supervisorial District. In addition, an application toolkit, program FAQs, and live weekly office hours are available to guide HRTP applicants through the process. Beyond funding, grantees will receive technical assistance throughout the grant period, including workshops on program design and industry analysis. All selected HRTPs will participate in a Countywide Community of Practice designed to strengthen implementation and improve workforce outcomes. Selections are expected Week of June 9, 2025.<\/p>\n

These new workforce initiatives follow DEO\u2019s recent\u00a0$19.1 million LA Region Small Business and Worker Relief Fund<\/strong>\u00a0award to\u00a01,372 small businesses<\/strong>\u00a0and nonprofits and\u00a02,309 workers<\/strong>, including $4 million in County dollars and a strong public-private partnership. Impacted and dislocated workers received $2,000 in direct financial assistance and will be engaged for additional hiring and training support with the launch of these programs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

LOS ANGELES, CA \u2014\u00a0Today, the Los...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-72014","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-business","category-ca-local"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72014","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=72014"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72014\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":72015,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72014\/revisions\/72015"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=72014"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=72014"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=72014"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}