Cynthia Centeno Garcia is a Data Management Support Coordinator with the San Diego Workforce Partnership. Here she describes her role, discusses what she likes best about working in workforce development and shares one of her proudest professional moments.
Tell us about your role at SDWP.
My job consists of learning how to use the California Job Openings Browse System (CalJOBS) database, teach others how to use it and provide technical assistance. Once data is collected, my job shifts to interpreting and analyzing data collected and using it to identify needs and resources available to the communities we serve.
What do you like best about working in workforce development?
Shaping the life of people served through workforce development programs and working in collaboration with others to do so.
What professional moment or project are you most proud of?
Whenever I am working on professional development or involved in a project I always look to this quote: “Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.” — Benjamin Franklin.
When I worked in direct service I was actively engaged in the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program for over two years as a tax preparer, quality reviewer, and tax coach. It was long hours and lots of paperwork but it was satisfying to know that people were getting their taxes done for free instead of having to pay exuberant amounts and it was always a pleasure training other VITA volunteers.
Now that I work behind the scenes (providing support to others who do direct service) I am excited with the new training resources that I have and will be launching in the next few months. In the year working with SDWP, a CalJOBS training manual was published, over 200 staff have been provided CalJOBS training, technical assistance is provided via phone, in person, or through screen sharing and videos, and soon a video database will be launched that will be accessible to all staff.