Workforce board joins forest recovery effort
Ranch Fire recovery combined with job creation
By Cheryl Ellis 02/07/2008
Through a federal grant, several Ventura County organizations are launching an effort to rehabilitate an enormous section of the county damaged by fire while providing an opportunity for county workers to accelerate their careers.
The Ventura County Workforce Investment Board (WIB) is working in conjunction with eight Job and Career Centers throughout the county to restore more than 54,000 acres of land scarred in October 2007 by the Ranch Fire in and around Piru and simultaneously provide extended career training for workers using a $1 million grant from the US Department of Labor National Emergency Grant. Recruitment of county residents for the Wildlife Recovery Workforce Program recently began with an active search for workers with construction-related experience.
The program jobs will include the arduous task of restoring public infrastructure, clearing remaining debris and performing flood mitigation in the areas affected by the fire. Though they are temporary, lasting the duration of the cleanup effort which WIB has estimated will last six months, at a time when construction jobs are becoming increasingly difficult to find, this program is an attempt to provide workers a paid job and the opportunity to build upon their skills. Training received in the program will help them in finding permanent employment at the project’s end.
“These temporary jobs can provide great experience for workers interested in developing a career in construction, forestry and other related fields,” said Cheryl Moore, executive director of the Ventura County WIB. “Workers who take part in the program also have the opportunity to learn about the variety of services and resources offered to job-seekers at the Job and Career Centers.”
Recruitment for the program begins this month through coordinated efforts of the Tri-Counties Labor Foundation and the Oxnard City Corps with regular orientations and outreaches to generate interest in the program.
Hiring preference is being given to applicants who have been unemployed for five weeks or more. For compensation, the workers will be paid $11 per hour and receive access to training at Job and Career Centers (JCCs) throughout the county. Because job sites have yet to be specified, it is difficult to ascertain specific details on the nature of labor, but the work will range from debris removal to reconstruction of buildings in rural areas affected by the Ranch Fire, according to the Ventura County WIB.
“Workers will receive varied assignments, and though construction skills will certainly benefit the effort, they will also have the opportunity to learn other skills,” said Debbie Barber, a spokeswoman for WIB. She expressed excitement about the opportunity for career development through the JCCs as well. “The centers are basically a resource center for job-seekers. The centers offer top-notch computers for workers to research job opportunities and work on résumés, full access to phones and fax machines, career-building workshops and even résumé paper.”
JCCs are dispersed throughout the county in eight locations spanning Fillmore, Oxnard, Santa Paula, Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks and Ventura. They offer regular job and career training to Ventura County residents intended to teach workers necessary skills to break into an increasingly competitive job market, and continued education for skilled laborers.
The grant is part of a $58 million relief grant which was divided among the counties affected by the fires that engulfed Southern California last fall, according to Barber. If the cleanup effort should extend beyond the estimated six months, WIB will appeal for more funds to continue supporting the program and extend the temporary work agreements with workers.
The next orientation for the Wildfire Recovery Workforce Program will be held in mid-February. For more information, candidates and interested parties can contact the Tri-Counties Labor Foundation at 805-385-4487, or the Oxnard City Corps at 805-385-8081.
DIGG | del.icio.us | REDDIT