Young adults

The Workforce Partnership has been chosen as a recipient of the Hyatt Thrive Community Grant. The funds awarded will be used to host three cohorts of the Career Launch Academy for opportunity youth and to develop a short video conveying the importance of hiring young adults from a business and talent development perspective.

An animal lover, Taylor wanted to become a veterinary assistant. Taylor found out at a job fair that MiraCosta College’s Technology Career Institute (TCI) offered a certificate-granting program in this field, and staff there and her GenerateHope case manager referred her to Interfaith Community Services’ Transitional Youth Academy (TYA), which funded the vet assistant program, paying for books, supplies and transportation.

Without opportunities to cultivate meaningful career-related relationships, young adults in these circumstances face barriers to employment and have limited opportunity to practice skills that will lead to long-term stability. A dedicated, holistic approach to building a career path for this population is key to ending cycles of poverty and disconnection.

With Workforce Partnership funds supporting the work of Interfaith Community Services’ Transitional Youth Academy, Abraham received funding to pay for his Engineering Technician training and received work-readiness training, resume development, job search support, money management and soft skills training.

Jayden Logan graduated from Helix Charter High School and is currently a full-time student at Grossmont College studying photography and business marketing who’s passionate about cinematography: “I want to help people and capture special moments in their lives,” he says. 

This “job fair alternative” brought job seekers directly to employers with a self-guided walking tour. The event played to the uniqueness of North Park to help young adults engage with local business owners, learn about new industries, explore entrepreneurship and gain employment. There were 69 job seekers and 16 businesses who participated in the event.

CONNECT2Career’s This Way Ahead program kicked off its second year on April 23 with a day-long training for more than 80 attendees interested in an internship in the retail sector.

CONNECT2Careers team member Sophia Barber sat down for an interview with CONNECT2Careers City Mentorship Program mentee Emily Gonzalez and mentor Melissa Villalpando. Read on to see how the pair learned from each other throughout their mentorship experience.

For young adults in San Diego County, the traditional part-time job is no longer the only entry point to the world of work.

Growing up Jesus Jhair Gama describes himself as, “that kid who was called upon whenever there was a technical issue at home.” He enjoyed working with technology and was a self-taught repairman. In his early days of repairs, he immersed himself in information, watching videos and reading as much as possible about the mobile phone industry.