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April 3, 2023

John Maruri is a business service navigator with the San Diego Workforce Partnership; his role is to connect with businesses, help with the execution of job fairs, support employers and more. Read on to learn more about the great work John is doing to help local employers thrive, then check out our business services page.

What is a typical day like for you?

Although everyday is different, there are certain things that I do that remain consistent on the business engagement team. I like to have an agenda—a “to do” list if you will, that I write out every day. It keeps me on task, busy and productive. I start each day monitoring our business phone line, 619-404-HIRE (4473), and our business email, business@workforce.org, for incoming messages. I respond in a timely manner and I continue to monitor those communication channels throughout the day. During these times, I briefly communicate to employers regarding our business services that have reached out to us wanting to learn more. These conversations could range from wanting to learn more about layoff services to wanting to host a job fair. For those that would like to know more about the business services we provide, I schedule a 45-minute meeting called a Business Assessment where I speak to employers more in-depth about services we offer such as employer reimbursements programs, support during layoffs, industry specific talent matching, recruitment services and other resources that support businesses in attracting talent and business growth. From there, depending on their unique need, I then connect those employers with the appropriate program or team for follow-up and set them up for a hopefully positive impact.

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You may also find me at a collaboration meeting within the community speaking about the services we provide, at a hiring event or attending a new community partner meeting establishing new partnerships.

To me, there are no separate departments at the San Diego Workforce Partnership. There are no walls of division here. We all work towards the same goal and that is to better our community and create opportunity for better lives and a robust local workforce, regardless of who you are and where you come from. There is something for everyone. We are all human. With that said, during any given day, I may be working on a special project or initiative with the business engagement team, or with my many internal peers or community partners, or I may just be spreading the good word to our job seekers. At the end of the day, it’s all good work and it provides positive ripples in the work we all do collectively. I’m here to support!

What Workforce Partnership resource(s) do you think more people should utilize? 

In this case, I must refer to the phrase, “you don’t know what you don’t know.” There are many employers that don’t know about our full array of employment services that we have. From On-the-Job Training (OJT), Construction Career Jumpstart, TechHire and more, these programs provide significant positive impacts on a business.  I’m super passionate about speaking to employers about the business services we provide and how we can support them with their hiring and workforce needs. Many employers don’t know about our resources, think it’s difficult to access them or think there is some sort of catch. I love to bridge that gap. I love to see their faces light up when I speak to see the positive long-lasting impact our organization can have on an employer. Don’t get me started on our training opportunities for our job seekers, there are too many to name here! The fact that we can offer equitable and affordable training to our job seekers that, for a variety of reasons, they may not have had the opportunity to access previously, is a great win for our community. To be able to strengthen an individual, their family and the employer all has positive impacts locally. It’s a win-win situation.

What professional moment or project are you most proud of?

I had the opportunity to help migrant children that were being housed at an emergency shelter in 2021. Working as a case manager, with young children and being on the front lines was very rewarding for me. To provide direct support to children during their reunification process, connecting them with their sponsors that lived in various places of the United States, provided purpose for me. To do what’s right, to help, it hits home. I was born in the United States, but my parents were not. They came here for a better life as many individuals do in search of the “American dream.” Those children could have easily been my parents. To be able to support and help our children of the future here in the United States was an honor for me, regardless of origin. So when I heard about this opportunity, I jumped to be part of the process. As a case manager, I interviewed young children, generally in Spanish, asked sensitive questions, interviewed their sponsors and conducted an in-depth background process to ensure those children were kept safe. Would I do it again? You betcha!

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