Message from the Chair

Making a difference as a High Performing Workforce Board

William Sterling

WDB Chair

WDB is honored to have recently received a three-year High Performing Board designation from the California Workforce Development Board.

The designation underscores the impact our Workforce Development Board and our Workforce Development Department are having in assuring job seekers obtain the skills they need and encouraging business growth by helping employers find qualified workers. In order to receive the designation, we needed to exceed state and federal standards in five specific categories, including training, strategic planning and business services.

I am proud of what our team, the Board and the department have achieved and look forward to building on the extraordinary partnerships we’ve been able to establish with employers and businesses across the County, partnerships that have made our workforce system a model for others across the state.

Impact Story

Job Fairs save the day for High Desert mining company

5E Boron Americas in Hesperia is positioned to become a global leader in the mining of minerals that are needed in everything from electric-vehicle batteries to solar panels to the specialty glass used in cell phones. As complicated as the chemistry might seem, finding workers who can operate the machinery at 5E’s Newberry Springs mining operation proved just as challenging.

After trying employment agencies, without success, 5E’s Human Resource Business Partner Susan Baker turned to Hiring Events sponsored by WDB and the High Desert AJCC.

From left: WDB Director Bradley Gates, WDB Chair William Sterling, 5E’s Susan Baker and WDB Business Services Specialist Sal Monica.

“I was struggling to get 20 people to work as process control officers. Then I met (WDB Business Services Specialist) Sal (Monica),” Baker told WDB Board members during a recent presentation. “We went to our first Job Fair, took over 100 paper applicants, and hired 25 people. We fully trained them, and two of those people are already up for promotion.”

The company has participated in two more Hiring Events since then and hired both a talent acquisition support professional and additional technical personnel.

Impact Story

How WDB is helping laid off Yellow Corp. workers rebuild their careers

WDB’s Business Services team sprung to action after the U.S. freight company Yellow Corp. abruptly ceased operations this summer. More than 1,200 employees in San Bernardino County lost their jobs overnight.

In collaboration with Yellow's local union representative, two job fairs were immediately organized, career consulting was provided, and information and resources were offered to help address concerns regarding unemployment, child support, health coverage, training alternatives, resume and interview workshops and retirement options.

In all, 325 laid off workers attended the two job and resource fairs, a massive undertaking that included follow-up interviews and ongoing access to the career support resources offered by WDB.

Helping small businesses get started

WDB has teamed up with Asociación de Emprendedor@s (AdE) to provide free training, in Spanish, to adults interested in becoming employers and learning about the Workforce Development resources and services available in the County. The six-week course focuses on helping participants develop self-esteem and creating sustainable small businesses. On August 22, the second cohort of participants completed the program and celebrated with a Business Expo at the West Valley AJCC. Click here for more on Asociación de Emprendedor@s.

Monthly Labor Market Update

The job market in San Bernardino County showed improvement in July, with nearly 8,000 jobs added and the unemployment rate inching down. Across the Inland Empire, private education and health services gained the most jobs year over year, up a total of 13,800. Month over month, construction added the most jobs across the IE, up 3,100. The hospitality sector gained 800 jobs.

I started my first official job the summer between my junior and senior years of high school. My buddy’s father owned a construction company and I was hired to be part of a crew that relocated, installed and repaired portable classrooms in north San Diego County. I remember arriving at the yard before the sun came up. It was then a long drive to the worksite in the back of a very bumpy work truck. As the junior members of the crew, we were tasked with the less desirable jobs, like crawling underneath classrooms or climbing on the roof during very hot summer days. It was a physically demanding job, but also very rewarding. I learned how to be accountable for my time and to follow through. Safety was important, as was working as a team. Overall, I gained tremendous respect and appreciation for the men and women who work in the construction industry, particularly the trades. I still advocate for more students to consider the trades as a career. There are so many great opportunities to work and grow in the construction industry.

Local employers will participate in several hiring events at the County’s America’s Job Centers of California (AJCCs) and other venues in the coming weeks:

Thursday, September 21: Hiring event at Chaffey College Chino Campus, 5890 College Park Ave., Chino, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Thursday, October 5: Hiring Event, East Valley AJCC, 500 Inland Center Drive, Space 508, San Bernardino from 9 a.m.- Noon.

Thursday, September 28: Hiring event at The Mall of Victor Valley at 14400 Bear Valley Rd Victorvill from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.

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Thursday, October 19: Hiring Event, West Valley AJCC, 9650 9th St., Suite B, Rancho Cucamonga from 9 a.m.-Noon.

Thursday, October 26: Barstow Job Fair and Expungement Event at Cora Harper Community Center at 841 Barstow Rd., Barstow from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

WDB hosts free virtual seminars throughout the week to help job seekers on topics such as interviewing skills, resume building and navigating the employment resources available during the pandemic. If you know of anyone who could use this valuable assistance, a calendar of upcoming sessions is available here.

In the meantime, here are some upcoming events and release dates:

Wednesday, October 4: Zoom workshop: “Harmony Across Generations: Inclusivity in the Workplace,” 10-11 a.m. Click here for more information.

Friday, October 6: Bureau of Labor Statistics releases its September jobs report.

Wednesday, October 11: WDB Committee Meetings , 290 North D St., Suite 600, San Bernardino, 8 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Visit our YouTube channel to view archived videos of our Business Services webinars, such as this one on how to communicate like a leader.

• WIOA Title I-financially assisted programs or activities are an equal opportunity employer/program. Auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities. For federal funding disclosure information, visit: workforce.sbcounty.gov/about/ffd/