Organizational Background and Capacity Statement. What is the mission and purpose of the organization? What services does the organization provide and which geographic region(s) does it serve? Outline the organization’s or consortium’s experience serving the direct care workforce, any specific past experience with managing and/or training the target direct care workforce population, experience with older adults, and people with disabilities and unpaid family and friend caregivers.
Organizational Background and Capacity Statement. This project is proposed by the Department of Workforce Investment (DWI), a department within Merced County. DWI is the administrative entity for the Merced County Workforce Development Board and operates as both an internal department and as an external commission. This unique structure positions us well to pilot the proposed activities. Our mission is to maintain the health of the local workforce ecosystem, ensuring that it works for the benefit of workers, employers, and industry. Our focus is low-income workers, with 75% of our customers meeting State-mandated “priority-of-service” requirements (low income or with a significant employment barrier). We administer a number of programs, including two America’s Job Centers of California in partnership with the California Employment Development Department (EDD) and a host of partners and subrecipients. Our workforce programs cover various industries, including the healthcare sector. Our system sees more than 3,000 job seeker visits per year, enrolling more than 600 in employment programs connected to training and certification. These industry-recognized trainings, offered through a State-approved list of eligible vendors, include Certified Nursing Assistant, Medical Assistant, and other allied health career programs. In addition, we directly offer workforce preparation services to help jobseekers, including direct care workers, become better prepared for the workforce, understand their career options and secure family-sustaining wages. As a County department, we work closely with the County Department of Health and the County’s Human Services Agency, Office of Aging. We collaborate on a number of programs, including TANF- funded subsidized employment and training. More importantly, in September 2022 we announced our partnership with the Health Department to develop the County’s first-ever workforce scan of community health. Our interest in the ‘care economy’ is long-standing. We are currently leading a novel effort to address the childcare crisis by convening partners to increase job quality in that space, are managing a Community Care Expansion Grant (CDSS), and have contributed to care economy studies. In all of these areas, we utilize a human-centered design process that centers local workers in the development of service strategies. We see our role as a workforce agency as a huge asset, one that could offer a complimentary perspective among your cohort of grantees. Our expertise lies in three areas – (1...
