LOS ANGELES COMMUNITY COLLEGES

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For Immediate Release:                                                                                            Contact:

October 17, 2007                                                                                                       Lisa Fitch 213-891-2423

                                                                                                                       

Los Angeles City College Teams with

Hollywood WorkSource Center

 

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and City Council President Eric Garcetti joined Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) Board President Sylvia Scott-Hayes; LACCD Chancellor Marshall Drummond; Los Angeles City College (LACC) President Jamillah Moore; LACC staff; LACC students; and representatives from the state Employment Development and Community Development Departments Monday October 15 for the grand opening of the Hollywood WorkSource Center, the first of its kind to be located on a college campus.

 

"Our state needs well-trained workers: nurses, aviation mechanics, respiratory therapists and other professions, and our colleges have the training programs," Scott-Hayes said. "If I can paraphrase a famous movie line – This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

 

Certificates of appreciation were presented to the Hollywood Presbyterian Hospital, which is partnering in the LVN to RN healthcare career ladder program. Mayor Villaraigosa also presented a certificate of recognition to Dr. Moore and L.A. City College before manning the scissors at ribbon cutting ceremonies.

 

The Hollywood WorkSource Center is the first of the city’s network of WorkSource centers to be relocated onto a community college campus as a best practices model for enhanced partnerships between the LACCD and the City of L.A. Workforce Investment Board system.

 

"We're working on streamlining our systems to put training in the most convenient locations possible and tapping existing resources," Villaraigosa said.

 

In this collaboration, the Center will tap into the education and training programs available at LACC and the college can create and provide employer-driven courses and skills certificates for job seekers. Additionally, LACC’s new Workforce Readiness Academy also provides training in workforce literacy, job readiness, hospitality and retail and customer service.

 

Federal Funding has declined for workforce development programs, so this partnership will leverage training resources and help more students and job seekers find good careers in LA’s growing industries.

 

“This is a perfect partnership because of the tremendous built-in training opportunities at community colleges,” Richard Benbow, general manager of the Community Development Department said.  “We have to get the word out to non-students that we are here and ready to serve them.”

 

Founded in 1929, Los Angeles City College career programs include health care, computer science, graphics, television production and more. Many students qualify for fee waivers. Visit lacitycollege.edu.

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