Alameda County Workforce Development Board reports training gains, launches Indeed pilot and marine-trades initiative

Rhonda Boykin, director of the Alameda County Workforce Development Board, and Latoya Reid Aje, interim assistant director, presented the board's annual update to the Social Services Committee on Oct. 28, covering WIOA performance, ARPA-funded programs in unincorporated communities, WARN layoff activity and upcoming solicitations.

"Collectively, those 6 providers have enrolled 600 WIOA participants," Latoya Reid Aje said when describing contracted providers and enrollment across adult and dislocated worker programs.

Presenters said the board invested over $1,000,000 in occupational training last program year, including certified medical assistant, welding, accounting, data-analytics and community health worker training. They reported credential attainment and measurable skill gains for adult and youth participants, and described partnerships with community colleges and local providers to expand career pathways.

The board said it received $1,300,000 in ARPA funding to create workforce development activities for unincorporated areas. Contract awards include Eden Church of Christ (community navigator), Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center (entrepreneurship and start-up supports), Rubicon Programs (vocational ESL and connections to clinical medical assistant training), Mandela Partners (culinary training) and the YMCA (early childhood training). Presenters said those grantees have engaged hundreds of residents in training and navigation services in Ashland, Hayward Acres, parts of Castro Valley, San Lorenzo and Cherryland.

Staff described sector-focused initiatives: a healthcare career pathway and a CNA training pilot with partners and two cohorts underway; a $3.9 million regional marine trades partnership targeting 300 participants across Alameda and Contra Costa counties; and a proposed one-year pilot partnership with Indeed's Job Search Academy that would create a custom landing page, integrate resources with the ACWDB website and provide workshops and on-demand content.

Supervisors pressed presenters on two themes: whether ARPA-funded programs understand the funding is temporary and how training cohorts translate into placements. Latoya Reid Aje said providers are aware ARPA contracts are time-limited and staff are advising grantees to budget accordingly; presenters also said they will follow up with placement metrics for the first CNA cohort as outcomes become available.

The board also previewed an RFP schedule for adult, dislocated worker and youth services covering July 2025 through June 2029 and described ongoing community engagement for the four‑year local plan, including virtual and in-person sessions planned for late October and early November.

Supervisors thanked presenters and asked staff to continue work linking workforce programs to apprenticeship opportunities and county hiring pipelines.