Workforce Development Board of Ventura County (WDB) was awarded $2,417,711 from the U.S. Department of Labor to prepare justice-involved individuals for the workforce. Another $350,000 was received from the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act/Governor’s Discretionary Fund for services to the English Language Learner (ELL) population to foster successful job placement and retention.
WDB partnered with the Ventura County’s Sherriff Office when applying for the Department of Labor grant that provides work-related training to inmates. The Ventura County “Bridges 2 Work” (B2W) project will place employment specialists at the Todd Road Jail in Santa Paula. Their focus will be on inmates who are less than 180 days away from release. A WDB “Pre-Release Specialized Job Center” at the jail will serve up to 300 inmates.