Since 1998, the Foundation for California Community Colleges (FoundationCCC) has been dedicated to fostering innovation and excellence within the California Community Colleges higher education system. FoundationCCC aims to improve access to affordable, quality education and training for students facing systemic barriers, including first-generation college students, low-income families, veterans and individuals impacted by the justice system.
Through the Helping Justice-involved Reenter Employment (HIRE) initiative, The San Diego Workforce Partnership (SDWP) collaborates with FoundationCCC to enhance workforce development initiatives focused on reentry, apprenticeship pathways, and equitable career opportunities. We spoke with Theresa Perales, Senior Specialist in Workforce Development, about her role and how it helps support the needs of our justice-impacted community.
Can you give us a high-level overview of the Foundation’s role in workforce development and community impact?
The Foundation sits in a central position that connects communities and stakeholders with shared goals. We work closely with state agencies to support California’s community colleges and broader workforce development initiatives. Our six key impact areas are student success, workforce development, equity, community impact, system impact and climate action.
The Workforce Development Department’s mission is to support partners in implementing policies and programs that improve educational and career outcomes for all Californians. We do this by expanding capacity for integrated and innovative workforce development initiatives—especially for underserved communities.
How does the Foundation support justice-impacted individuals specifically?
While there is work being done broadly across FoundationCCC to support justice-impacted individuals, my role in particular is on the Education to Work Partnerships team, which offers technical assistance for myriad workforce development initiatives including those aimed at supporting justice-impacted populations. We do this specifically through two grants from the California Workforce Development Board (CWDB): Breaking Barriers and HIRE (Helping Justice-Involved Reenter Employment).
For the Breaking Barriers grant, we act as both the technical assistance provider and the grant administrator. In the case of the HIRE grant, we have been selected as the sole technical assistance provider within a hub-and-spoke model that includes independent grantees and community-based organizations, such as the San Diego Workforce Partnership.
What does providing technical assistance entail?
We support program implementation, convene grantees virtually and in person, develop toolkits, and build infrastructure to increase access to quality education and career pathways. We foster communities of practice (CoP), where grantees can collaborate, share challenges and mentor one another. We use human-centered design to tailor our strategies based on CoP feedback and grantee needs.
Can you elaborate on how you help organizations address challenges?
We create forums for peer learning and problem-solving. For example, a grantee is currently planning its first employer fair; we connected them with partners like San Diego Workforce Partnership and other Hubs in the network to share best practices. Additionally, we facilitated a Hub meeting centered on the theme of hosting impactful employer and resource fairs for justice-impacted job seekers, where grantees shared their experiences and proven practices. We also document trends and challenges across grantees to help facilitate targeted support.
What are the major challenges that justice-impacted individuals face?
Individuals encounter several barriers, including issues related to housing, transportation, legal documentation and access to supportive services. They also experience stigma from employers; many say they are open to hiring justice-affected individuals but often retract job offers or terminate employment once past involvement is disclosed. Additionally, these individuals face a limited variety of job opportunities, frequently being directed toward trades and warehouse positions, even when their skills and interests lie in other areas.
What strategies are being used to overcome these challenges?
At the policy level, we rely on partners like The California Workforce Development Board (CWDB) and organizations such as Goodwill Southern California to advocate for meaningful changes.
On the ground, we focus on creating resources and convenings where HIRE grantees can leverage one another’s expertise and develop and implement strategies to ensure they meet their grant deliverables. For example, in August 2024, Deona Dorsey, Isobet Moreno, and Shannon White from San Diego Workforce Partnership’s Reentry team served as subject matter experts (SMEs) in a HIRE virtual convening where they shared with the CoP practices like educating employers, creating employer networks, and encouraging practices like leveraging the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC), fidelity bonding and on-the-job training (OJT) to support fair chance hiring.