2:01pm | In celebration of April being Workforce Development Month, the city has announced that Pacific Gateway Workforce Investment Network is highlighting its no-cost services to businesses and jobseekers throughout its network, including the availability of On-the-Job Training  funds for “tailored” solutions that aim to help the employer add staff and reduce the cost of unique or specialized onsite training. 


In the midst of recent cuts to federally funded Workforce Investment Act employment and job training programs, Pacific Gateway has joined the Los Angeles County Workforce Investment Board, the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, and 14 other WIBs throughout Southern California to celebrate Workforce Development Month in April, according to information provided by the city of Long Beach.


In the last year alone, the seven Los Angeles County business-led WIBs, and their 48 One-Stop Career Centers and 38 Youth Centers, served more than 10,000 companies with employment and training services and employee layoff aversion assistance; 12,500 low-income youth with work experience programs; and 11,900 adults with career training in targeted high growth sectors, according to City Hall.


“Pacific Gateway is an excellent resource for residents and businesses,” said Long Beach Mayor Bob Foster, a member of the Workforce Investment Network Policy board, in a prepared statement. “During these challenging economic times, it provides critical services such as job search assistance, computer classes, mock interviews and training.” 


Through Pacific Gateway’s three One-Stop Career Centers and service provider partners alone, more than 2,500 residents accepted employment and returned to work, while another 1,600 accepted temporary subsidized employment to help transition back into the economy over the last year, according to City Hall. 


“We know that many residents have run out of unemployment benefits, so April’s Workforce Development Month is a good opportunity to remind them to take advantage of the Network’s career counseling, skills development opportunities, career transition and prep workshops, hiring events, and more that are available at all three of our One Stop Centers,” said Pacific Gateway Executive Director Bryan Rogers in a prepared statement. “Customers are able to register in Pacific Gateway’s dynamic employment, hiring and careers solution at PacificGatewayWorkforce.com.”


Rogers suggested that employers take advantage of the network’s current On-the-Job Training opportunity, one of its many business tools that employers can use to hire the right employees as they gear up for hiring. Funding for this strategy is limited, he added, and employers can learn more by visiting YourNextHire.biz or by calling 866-848-3321. 


Pacific Gateway helps to streamline the process and walks each hiring employer quickly through the process with the help of a dedicated Business Services team member, starting with resumes of job-ready candidates. The employer interviews and hires the best candidate and identifies with Pacific Gateway the training required to provide additional, essential skills that the company needs. With a minimal amount of paperwork, Pacific Gateway reimburses an agreed upon percentage of the employee’s wages for a set amount of time, according to City Hall.


Maria Zamudio, the Human Resources director at Edge Development Inc., a licensed public works general contractor and prime contractor for the Long Beach Airport Phase 1 Improvement Project, said the On-the-Job Training program makes hiring “so easy.”  


“I worked with one Business Solutions team member throughout the entire process,” Zamudio said in a prepared statement. “Within a few day days of the request, I had several resumes to review. I interviewed the first round of candidates and asked to see more resumes. I interviewed the second round of candidates and hired a highly qualified field administrator. We are now taking advantage of OJT to train our new candidate on our specialized bookkeeping system.”


Disclosure: Long Beach Post publisher Shaun Lumachi chairs the Pacific Gateway Workforce Investment Board of Directors.