Community Action Board of Santa Cruz County, Inc.

“Job Training” is the title of the 8th program in a series of programs on Community Television of Santa Cruz County called “The War On Poverty in the 21st Century”. Produced by Community Television and the Community Action Board of Santa Cruz County, Inc.

·               Produced: Monday, September 30th, 2002

·               On Air November 1st through November 29th, 2002

·               Mondays and Thursdays at 6:30 pm and Fridays at 3:

·               Channel: 25 on AT&T Cable

·               Title: “Job Training” Order this video from Community Television of Santa Cruz County. Call 831-425-8848.

·               An article on this series was featured in The Good Times on May 23rd. You can view this article at:  http://www.cabinc.org/War_Goodtimes_poverty_tv.htm  

Lets start by busting another myth.  It is common knowledge that most minimum wage workers are teenagers who live at home.

Sorry, that’s just another assumption that won’t stand up to research.

According to the Economic Policy Institute working teenagers makes up only 7% of the total minimum wage work force; ….actually, about two-thirds are women over 20 years old, who do not live with their parents. 40% of minimum wage workers are the sole source of income in their households.

Low wage industries, including agriculture, retail and tourism make up more than 50% of the jobs in Santa Cruz County.  With average wages of below $8.00 per hour, these jobs don’t pay enough to lift people out of poverty.  In fact, on the Central Coast, a full time minimum wage worker earning $6.75 an hour would spend a little more than all of their monthly income, $1,134. before taxes, to pay for a two-bedroom housing unit at the fair market rent of $1,175.   The minimum wage should, of course, keep up with inflationary housing costs and it has not done so.

Education and job training is another, most important and traditional way that low-wage earners can find employment that pays a livable wage.

In this episode we call “Job Training” we will introduce you to three successful Community Action Board programs that prepare people to move into jobs that can, and do, lift some of them and their families out of poverty. 

The first of the three is The Natural Resources and Employment Program that provides on the job training and employment in environmental restoration projects and just plain employee basics.    Welcome Matt Horowitz.

The second of the three job training programs  is called the Youth Community Restoration Program, or YCORP.  This program operates weekend work crews for youth as an alternative to detention, provides a follow-up mentoring program for selected graduates and after school paid work component.  

The third and final of the three job training programs is called the Women Ventures Project, a non-traditional job training and job placement assistance program for low-income Santa Cruz County and Monterey County women, focused on the building trades, transportation and public safety/public works fields. 

GUESTS:

Matt Horowitz is the Program Director of the Natural Resources and Employment Program.  A Certified Arborist with over 20 year experience in Forestry and Landscaping projects Matt brings a strong, no-nonsense, business background to the program.

David True is the Program Director of the Youth Community Restoration Program.  He has had experience designing, implementing, and managing programs targeting the hardest to reach of our at-risk populations.  He also has worked with the many incarcerated populations in California, particularly with youth in Juvenile Hall and in the California Youth Authority. 

Helen Ewan  the Program Director of the Women Ventures Project is with us in the studio today.  Ms Ewan  has 12 years of experience in administration and human resources, with a focus on issues related to women, youth, and low-income people. Ms. Ewan  has worked with Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Welfare and Low Income Support Network,  University of California at Santa Cruz Human Resources Department in both Administrative and Analyst positions , and before she came to the Women Ventures Project a year and a half ago she worked as a Senior Administrative Analyst with Community Bridges (formerly known as Food & Nutrition Services).   

  • Executive Producer of the series is Geoffrey Dunn, Executive Director of Community Television of Santa Cruz County.

  • Kathy D’Angelo produces the series for Community Television.

  • Paul Brindel is the series host and produces the series for Community Action Board

  • Craig Jutson directs the program series.

  • Christine Johnson-Lyons is an Associate Producer

  • Contact:  For Community Television, Kathy D'Angelo– 425-8848

  •  For Community Action Board, Paul Rachuy Brindel – 457-1741 ext 160

  • For more on the Community Action Board of Santa Cruz County, Inc go to: www.cabinc.org

  • Go To "The War On Poverty" Index of Programs and Resources

  • For more on Community Television of Santa Cruz County go to: http://communitytv.org/index.html

  • 10/08/06
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