Council Secures Grant for New, Innovative Workforce Program

A regional initiative the Bay Area Council is leading to increase employment opportunities for young men of color in the Bay Area got a major boost with the award of a $150,000 grant from California Workforce Development Board. The funding will enable the Council and its partners, including LeadersUp, PolicyLink and the Urban Strategies Council, to launch an innovative hiring and training pilot program that leverages our considerable network of large Bay Area employers. The Bay Area Young Men of Color Employment Partnership (BAYEP) was created last year to address the yawning gap between employers’ urgent need for entry- and middle-skills jobs and the large number of young men of color that are seeking work. Under the pilot program, five Bay Area employers will be recruited to work with BAYEP in developing a seamless process for training and hiring young men of color and building pathways within companies to enable workers to move up the employment ladder. Using findings and results from the pilot project, the program would later be scaled to include more employers and workers. To engage in the Council’s workforce policy, please contact Policy Associate Rachele Trigueros.