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Department of Labor Awards JVS San Francisco $6.4 Million to Combat Long-Term UnemploymentSAN FRANCISCO --(Business Wire)-- The White House today announced that the Department of Labor, has awarded JVS, the Bay Area's leading employment and training organization, $6.4 million to help combat the region's pernicious long-term unemployment problem. Specifically the grant will fund an innovative new program to provide the intensive training, education, coaching and employer connections necessary to obtain employment in an increasingly technology-based economy. JVS will serve 800 job seekers over four years, and anticipates at least 85% of program graduates will be employed by Bay Area companies. "San Francisco and the Bay Area have tens of thousands of long-term unemployed; with a substantial investment in new skills training, especially for the growing technology sector, we will get people back to work," said Abby Snay, Executive Director of JVS. "This new program is based on intensive employer interviews and surveys. JVS spent months analyzing the gap between the unemployed and the skills employers need and expect from job candidates." "We're pleased to be partnering with the Deparment of Labor and the White House to develop a set of 'Best Practices' to help get people back to work," Snay added. JVS expects to partner with more than a dozen businesses as a part of its program, including Twitter (News - Alert), eBay, University of California San Francisco (UCSF), Evolv, Zynga and Charles Schwab, Inc. Training will cover a myriad of skills including: Salesforce administration, network security, computer networking and information technology, front end web development and mobile app development. Hellman Foundation Also Awards Funds The DOL award comes on the heels of a $30,000 planning grant from the Hellman Foundation to JVS, also awarded to specifically address long-term unemployment. "These dollars are going to help change lives," Snay said. "It's difficult for people to grasp that in a city like San Francisco, awash with prosperity, we have professionals who have been unemployed for more than six months," Snay continued. "These are highly educated professionals who are now living off their retirement savings and potentially on the verge of losing their homes. Their lack of income is having a direct effect on the state's economy as noted recently in the press. We'll all benefit from having these professionals re-enter the workforce." Companies interested in participating in this program to secure qualified candidates or long-term unemployed individuals interested in applying to participate in this training program, should visit the JVS website at www.jvs.org for more details. About JVS JVS (Jewish Vocational Service) is a nonsectarian nonprofit that has combatted unemployment for 40 years in the Bay Area. Their award-winning programs help people build the skills and employer connections they need to find work and transform their lives.
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