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Employment Training Panel funds 29 proposals totaling about $10.35 million; manufacturers and healthcare among top recipients
Summary
At its Oct. 24 meeting, the Employment Training Panel approved 29 proposals that would distribute roughly $10.35 million in training funds across manufacturers, health-care providers, community colleges and small businesses statewide. The panel also received updates on a $7.5 million seed program and the workforce literacy initiative.
The Employment Training Panel on Oct. 24 approved a slate of proposals that, if all fully executed, will channel about $10.35 million into employer-led workforce training across California.
Panel members voted to fund 29 single- and multiple-employer projects covering manufacturing, healthcare, construction, food production and other industries. Staff told the panel the tally would bring the year-to-date approved amount to roughly $45.6 million and would add to a pipeline of 252 applications under consideration.
Panel discussion was practical and procedural: applicants described curricula, prior performance and staffing plans while panel members pressed for clarity on productive-lab hours, wage progression and measures to avoid prior audit exceptions. Several proposals prompted questions about whether training would be mostly classroom, simulated or performed on production equipment; in every case staff said they would work with contractors to refine rosters and documentation.
Notable approvals included repeat and first-time contractors across sectors (motion and roll-call approvals recorded during the meeting): Aerojet Rocketdyne ($392,000), Boehringer Ingelheim Fremont ($599,424), Castle Works Home Services ($115,360), Westmark/Certified Stainless Service ($495,600), General Atomics ($358,400), Keysight Technologies ($599,200), Lancaster Hospital/Palmdale Regional Medical Center ($560,000), Producers Dairy Foods ($598,752), Butte-Glenn Community College District (MAC, $849,999), Cerritos Community College District (MAC, $849,195) and others. Several contracts included negotiated adjustments to post-retention wage commitments during discussion (recorded below).
Staff also briefed the panel on two program-level items. An executive report noted an executed interagency agreement for a $7.5 million seed program to support immigrant and limited-English-proficient entrepreneurs, and staff announced that the Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Training Program (EVITP 1.5) round will open Nov. 7 with roughly $934,000 available for electrician certification. A separate workforce literacy memo summarized activity under a $10 million one-time general fund program that supports English, math and digital-skills training for immigrants and refugees; staff said 28 contracts are active and roundtables are underway to maximize participation before contract end dates next summer.
Votes at a glance (selected items; amounts are the funding amounts approved during the meeting): Aerojet Rocketdyne — $392,000 (approved) Boehringer Ingelheim Fremont — $599,424 (approved) Castle Works Home Services — $115,360 (approved) Westmark (Certified Stainless Service Inc.) — $495,600 (approved) General Atomics — $358,400 (approved) Keysight Technologies — $599,200 (approved) Lancaster Hospital (Palmdale Regional Medical Center) — $560,000 (approved) O'Neil Vintners & Distillers — $296,100 (approved; post-retention wage for jobs 1 and 2 adjusted to $20) Producers Dairy Foods — $598,752 (approved; post-retention wage for job 2 adjusted to $20) Butte-Glenn Community College District (MAC) — $849,999 (approved) Cerritos Community College District (MAC) — $849,195 (approved) IPC International / Global Electronics Association (MAC) — $295,372 (approved) Velara Building Systems — $283,360 (approved) Soma AEC / Oxman College — $745,156 (approved with wage caveats for CNA job groups; see separate story) Tulare Joint Union High (Tulare Adult School) — $119,800 (approved) Snack King LLC (amendment for out-of-state vendor training) — amendment approved
Quote: Darren Holcomb, HR manager with Aerojet Rocketdyne, said the company is seeking to "build upon prior gains" by expanding training in additive manufacturing and nondestructive testing to keep its aerospace workforce competitive.
What happens next: Staff will finalize contract documents with applicants and follow up on compliance items flagged during questioning — including refinement of productive-lab rosters, prior-audit remediations, and documentation of wage-progression commitments. The workforce literacy portfolio remains under active staff monitoring; staff plans two-monthly convenings with contractors to facilitate partner matching and reporting.
The panel adjourned after members suggested future policy topics for follow-up: productive-lab definitions, affiliate/entity policy questions, out-of-state vendor guidance and an equity review of apprenticeship funding.
