The Oakland / San leandro Revitalization Plan

Clearly, one of the key issues in the region is the creation of, and placement in, good-paying jobs. Considerable work is currently being done in this regard. Numerous organizations are trying to link job-seekers and employers. The public schools and colleges, as well as a variety of public and non-profit programs, provide training opportunities to better match the skills of residents to the needs of different businesses. While the scale and scope of this fundamental issue extend beyond this particular dual-city planning project, there are some specific actions that can be explored which would benefit from cooperation between Oakland and San Leandro.

Recommended Actions

1. The City of San Leandro will explore participation with the Oakland Jobs Consortium. San Leandro employers could participate in the Consortium as a means of locating potential workers living in Oakland who have appropriate skills. At the same time, San Leandro residents could be allowed to participate in the Consortium’s pool of job-seekers. A first step will be to hold a meeting with San Leandro employers to learn whether Oakland’s existing job referral and job training programs would be useful to them.

2. The cities will consider initiating a jobs fair for San Leandro and Oakland employers with their explicit cooperation and participation. The focus will be on the industrial district south of the airport.

3. The cities will evaluate the costs and benefits of using their “Web” sites and other media to improve access to job openings by residents and access to potential workers by employers.

Oakland Job Consortium & Related Job Programs

The City of Oakland Employment Services Section of the Public Works Department offers services to link businesses, employment training providers, and residents seeking work or job training. They have brought together a consortium of over 150 agencies that provide job training and have developed linkages to educational institutions whose students are seeking jobs. They work closely with businesses to provide qualified applicants from job training programs and educational institutions, and they help residents find jobs and job training programs. The three programs that they operate which might be shared by Oakland and San Leandro are:

Business Employment and Training Connection (BETC)

This program offers “one stop” employment services for businesses. The business faxes or phones in job order requests which are shared with the consortium of job training agencies and educational institutions within 24 hours. BETC screens and refers trained and/or experienced candidates, and the business decides who they would like to contact for interviews. Staff also assists the business in applying for any federal tax credits that may be available for hiring certain types of employees.

First Source Employment Referral Program

For businesses needing to hire a group of new employees, Oakland’s Employment Services will recruit, screen, test, and schedule interviews with applicants that fit the job requirements. The applicants are drawn from the over 150 community based employment and training agencies that participate in the Consortium. All services are provided at no cost to the employer.

Local Construction Employment Referral Program (LCERP)

This program refers skilled construction workers to contractors and subcontractors. LCERP maintains a databank to refer a diverse pool of workers to employers within three working days.








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jmc 08/31/98