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Council authorizes RFP to continue Measure HH workforce pilot after evaluation finds 81% employment for tracked participants
Summary
An independent evaluation of the Measure HH pilot workforce program found participating East Palo Alto residents experienced improved employment outcomes: among tracked participants, 81% were employed after training and the report recommended stronger employer partnerships, paid exposureships and better multilingual access. Council authorized staff to prepare a new RFP incorporating recommended program, policy and operational enhancements.
City staff presented the Informing Change evaluation of the Measure HH pilot workforce program, which supported three contractors (JobTrain, Live in Peace and Street Code Academy) delivering STEM and trades training, case management and placement services.
Evan Gattusi of Informing Change summarized evaluation results: “97 East Palo Alto residents participated in the Measure HH pilot workforce training program ... 81 percent were employed after completing the their Measure HH funded training.” He noted the evaluation sample used post‑program data available at the time of collection and recommended strengthening employer engagement, expanding access to paid internships/exposureships, improving multilingual programming and investing in longitudinal data tracking to measure wage growth over time.
Contractor presentations highlighted program successes and participant stories: JobTrain reported apprenticeships and placements in building trades, Live in Peace highlighted cybersecurity certificates that helped participants access higher‑paying STEM work, and Street Code Academy described new bilingual certificate pathways that increased accessibility for Spanish speakers. Council members applauded early results, pressed for clearer longitudinal tracking and asked staff to define measurable performance goals for the RFP.
Council action: with an amendment to include recommended program, policy and operational enhancements, council voted to accept the evaluation and authorize the city manager to issue a request for proposals to continue the Measure HH program beyond the pilot phase with the FY25/26 allocation incorporated into the RFP process.
What’s next: Staff will prepare the RFP this summer and fall, return with recommended contractors and implementation details in winter, and implement the revised program contingent on council contract approvals.
