By Kathy Chouteau
Richmond residents who have lost their jobs during the pandemic and other job seekers can benefit from a free local career resource: RichmondWORKS, America’s Job Center [California] (AJCC).
Equipped with special federal grants aimed at helping the workforce recover from COVID-related impact, RichmondWORKS can help connect eligible job seekers to occupational training in a variety of professions. Currently the staff is assisting local job seekers primarily over the phone.
Following an initial evaluation to determine if a job seeker’s skill set is a good match for their intended career, RichmondWORKS’ staff will help prepare them for future training that they can receive online via state-approved schools spanning many industries. Possible career paths include medical/health, warehouse, construction, project management, truck driving, computers, administrative and more.
According to Monica Castrillo, an employment program specialist II & business service representative at RichmondWORKS, their funding encompasses career-related training program certificates a job-seeker might need to earn to work in their desired profession.
We “evaluate, prepare and improve their skill set,” said Castrillo of their related efforts with job seekers. “We evaluate [their] eligibility for the program, so that we can send them and pay for their training.” Castrillo described RichmondWORKS as the bridge that connects job seekers to the services they need to succeed.
Aside from serving as a pipeline to training schools—and beyond their COVID-related funding—RichmondWORKS also has established relationships with employers “to help people get back into the workforce,” for careers that may not require training, per Castrillo. They are continually updated on available job opportunities by employers and can also help people with other business services such as resume development, interview techniques, online job searching, referrals and much more.
To get started on career training and other services with RichmondWORKS, reach out to Monica Castrillo at [email protected] or 510.307.8003 or Emmanuel Njome at [email protected] or 510.307.8029. Visit RichmondWORKS online via their website or on Facebook. Learn more via this video.
