Announcements

Training Women in Non-Traditional Jobs

As part of its Green Initiative, CET in San Jose and Gilroy launched an effort to increase awareness of employment opportunities for women in non-traditional jobs and to increase the number of women in Green Construction Training. Prior to the launching of the public awareness campaign, CET in San Jose was averaging one to two women per every 200 men enrolled in Green Building Construction Skills, Electrical, HVAC or Automotive Specialist. As a result of the awareness campaign, CET San Jose is now averaging 10 women per every 200 men. Respectfully, the women in the project are averaging a 97% attendance rate and are proving to be doing very well. The first woman scheduled to graduate already has a job offer from AvalonBayCommunities, Inc., a CET industry partner.

Taking the time to assess interest and identify barriers early has been the key according to Olivia Soza-Mendiola, Project Coordinator. Ensuring that the women have a genuine interest in the trade and ensuring that they have the support system available to them as they go through the training has also been a key to success.

The work of CET promoting women to enter the trades and demonstrating success has not gone unnoticed. In partnership with the Office of Women’s Policy of Santa Clara County and the strategy to “better leverage resources, identify programs and services, and examine the effectiveness of policy and systems in meeting the needs of women and girls”, CET will work with women coming the court systems and homeless

Developed in the spirit of cooperation between the County and the community, the Office of Women’s Policy (formerly Office of Women’s Advocacy) was created to identify and address current and emerging issues for women and girls challenging our community today. We promote special programs and activities to support and encourage the success of women and girls in all aspects of society. We serve as a focal point to enhance collaboration among women’s organizations, including the Commission on the Status of Women, and complement local advocacy efforts through a focus on education, effective public policy implementation, and systems and institutional reform to better serve women and girls.

Going Green is Going Back

Started in 1967 as a farmworker training program and with “roots” literally in the earth, CET has a special affinity for “going green”. As the world recognizes how the Green Jobs phenomenon can alter not only the course of the planet’s health but also our economies, CET has fully embraced green workforce training through its Green Skills Initiative. Beginning with the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) in 2009, CET began to green its skill programs by examining how skills such as Heating Ventilation and Air-Conditioning (HVAC), Electrical and Building Maintenance could better equip workers in this “emerging” green economy. Interestingly, in moving forward, CET was actually re-visiting the past.

In the 1970s, CET worked with communities developing housing for migrant farmworkers and installed solar panels in 3 counties in California. Today, CET offers Electrical program trainees a section of training devoted to photovoltaics, including solar energy fundamentals. As part of CET’s contextual design, trainees wire solar panels installed on mock roofs. Our Building Maintenance course now trains with sustainability in mind, and in the 13 locations in California is called Green Building Construction Skills. In Sacramento, CA a grant received from the Sacramento Employment and Training Administration (SETA) enabled that location to promote energy savings for homeowners through its short-term Weatherization course.

The U.S. Department of Labor strongly supports the green industry and recently granted $38 million dollars to six agencies under its Green Jobs Innovation Fund (GJIF), including CET. In a release published by the U.S. DOL, Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis stated, "This grant program is an important effort in supporting green investments and equipping workers with the knowledge, skills and abilities they need to succeed in green occupations."

As one of the six recipients, the GJIF grant will enable CET to provide training in the following specialized programs: Solar Photovoltaic System Installers and Weatherization Technician. Additionally, program certifications in Green Building Construction Skills will provide career pathways for building analysts, energy auditors and energy efficiency professionals.Preparing individuals for a self-sufficient and sustainable future has always been at the core of CET’s mission. CET considers it fortuitous that its mission and vision are in alignment with current policy for a sustainable future for not only our planet and the people who live on it.

Putting Technology to Work because Technology is a Must!

In today’s workplace, computer literacy is a must. From the computer that checks out a car to health records at the doctor’s office, computer skills are required to be successful in any job. At Center for Employment Training each trainee receives computer literacy training as part of their skill program. From Green Building Construction to Culinary Arts training, each program participant is provided an overview of computer technology and how computers are an integral part of our personal and professional lives. Trainees are then required to demonstrate basic computer proficiency through exercises such as using word-processing software, the internet and email systems.

In support of CET’s efforts to train today’s worker in today’s technology, Microsoft Corporation Community Affairs donated $1.1 million dollars in software for CET to upgrade its system across the national network. CET is using this award to standardize its instructional software in addition to upgrading its technology infrastructure for administrative support. CET is delighted to be a Microsoft partner and looks toward the future capabilities this upgrade will provide for all its trainees!

A Presidential Visit

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.–Margaret Mead This famous quote captures the essence in the “world” of Center for Employment Training’s San Jose headquarters just hours before it was set to host a visit from Mexican President Felipe Calderon and his First Lady, Margarita Zavala de Calderon.Asked to be the venue for a rare visit to the Bay Area, a small, committed group of CET staff and volunteers worked late into the night to prepare for the President Calderon’s “Encuentro con la Comunidad Mexicana” (Encounter with the Mexican Community) townhall meeting. With nearly 600 immigrant laborers, community members and non-political guests, President Calderon addressed hard topics such as the socio-economic conditions of Mexican nationals living in the U.S; the Mexican economy and jobs; immigration; and the drug cartels and corruption. Other speakers included Candido Morales, first President of the I.M.E. (Instituto de los Mexicanos en el Exterior), and Mariano Alvarez, leader of the Movimiento Cultural de la Unión Indígena. CET’s President/CEO, Hermelinda Sapien was also called up to the podium to share in expressing CET’s honor in receiving such distinguished guests.

For CET, this event held special significance. As part of a comprehensive approach to meeting community needs, CET in San Jose has an Immigration and Citizenship Program (ICP) that provides low-cost immigration services as well as ESL and citizenship classes.In addition to its ICP program CET has a long-standing partnership with the San Jose Mexican Consul’s Plaza Comunitaria, a program whosemission is to provide educational services for native Spanish-speakers living in the United States. Plazas Comunitarias are open places where people come to learn how to read, to write, to finish elementary or middle school, complete High School, GED, ESL or take online training for the workforce. At CET, participants take classesusingtechnology in a computer room with access to the Internet and one-on-one instruction is provided by a staff member.

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