Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Workforce Development topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
NOVAworks reports training scholarships, new pilots and employer partnerships to Sunnyvale council
Summary
NOVAworks briefed Sunnyvale Council on workforce services including training scholarships, a San Francisco International Airport pilot, an apprenticeship with Western Digital and the LaunchLab foundation to pilot workforce innovations.
NOVAworks representatives presented a program update April 22 to Sunnyvale City Council members, outlining services for jobseekers and businesses in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties and describing a new foundation‑style arm to pilot workforce innovations.
Marlena Sessions of the Department of Workforce Services introduced senior management analyst Chris Bernhardt, who said NOVAworks served 1,642 individuals with career services in the most recent program year and delivered about $863,000 in training scholarships. Bernhardt said the scholarships cover training at community and technical colleges, private providers and extensions where training leads to in‑demand jobs.
Bernhardt highlighted three pilot efforts under the new NOVAworks Foundation (LaunchLab): an embedded career adviser pilot at San Francisco International Airport to recruit aviation support staff; a registered apprenticeship program at Western Digital that pairs paid work with skills training; and the “Hope Person Project,” a wraparound‑services pilot that combines training with supportive services for participants with multiple barriers to employment. Sessions and Bernhardt stressed NOVAworks’s role in rapid response to WARN notices (layoff notices) and in serving opportunity youth age 17–24 with internships and paid training.
Council members asked for more detail on scholarship uses, data and metrics. Council Member Srinivasan asked where scholarship dollars are used; Bernhardt said awards are guided by career advisors and are assigned to training providers that match job opportunities. Members asked whether NOVAworks partners with local school districts and colleges; the presenters said they do and noted partnerships and shared programs with local employers and higher‑education institutions.
No council action or vote was required; the session was informational. Council members praised NOVAworks’s work and asked staff to return with further details about outcomes and local partnerships.
