LBCF Convenes Stakeholders to Match Local Talent with Local Employers (pictured above are some of the first LB College Promise Career Fellows)
“Too often local talent is not retained in Long Beach, so it was our goal to develop a program that would celebrate local talent by connecting graduates to jobs in their own community- benefiting both the students and the local economy,” said LBCF President & CEO Marcelle Epley. “Through support from the Knight Foundation Donor Advised fund held at the Community Foundation, and in partnership with the nonprofit Pacific Gateway, we are thrilled to see this program launched.”
Partners including the City of Long Beach, California State University, Long Beach (CSULB), Long Beach City College (LBCC), and Pacific Gateway Workforce Innovation Network are piloting the program to provide “Promise Students” with employment opportunities upon graduating from CSULB or LBCC. Promise Students are defined as students who attended a Long Beach Unified School District school and have earned a trade certificate or degree at either CSULB or LBCC. As part of the pilot, approximately 110 local students will be connected with five local employers this summer and apply for employment with participating local employers through curated connections, interviews, and on-going training. Employers participating so far include SCAN, Dignity Health, Renaissance Hotel Long Beach, Sweatpants Media, and Amber Resources.
To learn more about this exciting initiative launched by the Community Foundation and funded through the Knight Foundation Fund at LBCF check out these links:
LBCF Press Release – College Promise Career Fellows