City’s Economic & Workforce Development Department highlights WorkSource centers and JEDI zones

Carolyn Hull, general manager of the Los Angeles Economic and Workforce Development Department (EWDD), described the department’s job‑matching and small business supports during a recorded city segment focusing on workforce programs.

Why it matters: Local workforce and small‑business support programs connect residents to jobs and training and concentrate resources in commercial corridors that have struggled with vacancies and low economic activity.

Hull said the EWDD operates 17 WorkSource centers across the city that provide free services to jobseekers, including resume building, mock interviews, job placement and training subsidies when employers request skill development. Employers can meet with WorkSource staff to define necessary skills; the department can then help arrange subsidized training for jobseekers.

Hull described JEDI (Jobs and Economic Development Incentive) zones as places where the city concentrates resources on underperforming main streets to reduce vacancies and revitalize local economies. The department looks for underserved corridors where concentrated support will have the most impact rather than distributing resources evenly citywide, she said.

Hull encouraged jobseekers — particularly youth preparing for summer employment and internships — to prepare to interview on the spot at job fairs and to follow EWDD social media for event announcements. She said EWDD is working with the mayor’s office on a multi‑year strategy to align workforce systems with industries likely to generate jobs over the next two decades.

Ending: Hull said EWDD provides access to capital, incubators, and a real estate division that activates underused land to generate revenue to the general fund, and she urged residents and employers to use the WorkSource centers for hiring and career support.