DATE: May 9, 2023
CATEGORY: New Business
DEPT.: City Manager’s Office
TITLE: American Rescue Plan Act Funding for
Workforce Development
RECOMMENDATION
1. Allocate $169,075 in one -time American Rescue Plan Act funding to Library workforce development programs.
2. Award $426,900 in one-time American Rescue Plan Act funding appropriated for workforce development to Working Partnerships USA ; Mountai n View Los Altos Union High School District and Mountain View Whisman School District; Foothill College; NOVAworks; Los Altos Mountain View Community Foundation and Reach SV; and Day Worker Center of Mountain View.
3. Adopt a Resolution of the City Counci l of the City of Mountain View : (1) Appropriating and Increasing Expenditures by $95,975 in the General Non -Operating Fund for Workforce Development and Job Training Programs ; (2) Authorizing the City Manager or Designee to Negotiate and Execute a Professional Services Agreement with Working Partnerships USA to Provide the Trades Orientation Program to Mountain View Residents in an Amount Not to Exceed $100,000; and (3) Authorizing Execution of Other Related Agreements as Necessary for the Disbursement of the Funding , to be read in title only, further reading waived (Attachment 1 to the Council report). (Five votes required)
BACKGROUND
As part of the Fiscal Year 2022 -23 Adopted Budget, the City Council allocated $500,000 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding to support workforce development programs. Council directed staff to return with a formal recommendation for allocating the funds.
ANALYSIS
In response to Council direction, staff contacted organizations that submitted public comment regarding the ARPA funding recommendation for workforce development to learn more about community needs, existing programs, and potential partnerships. In addition, staff reached out Attachment 2
American Rescue Plan Act Funding for Workforce Development May 9, 2023
to NOVAworks, the Chamber of Commerce, Los Altos -Mountain View Community Foundation, and Cafecito Con Aroma a Justicia. Staff also reviewed internal workforce development and job training programs to identify opportunities to continue and/or enhance existing services.
In order to maximize the impact of the one-time funding, staff created guidelines for developing a recommendation. The programs need to do the following:
• Leverage or expand existing programs and capacity;
• Support the Council’s Community for All and Economic Vitality Strategic Priorities;
• Support the development of new and existing partnerships between organizations serving the Mountain View community; and
• Focus on serving Mountain View residents.
All of the funding requ ests received met these criteria and are recommended for full funding .
The total amount of funding requested exceeds the $500,000 approved in the Fiscal Year 2022-23 Adopted Budget by $ 95,975, for a total of $595,975. Staff recommends that the City Council approve an additional appropriation of $95,975 from the General Non-Operating Fund (one-time funds) to fully fund the workforce development programs described in this report.
The funding recommendations are summarized in Table 1 and further described below.
American Rescue Plan Act Funding for Workforce Development May 9, 2023
Table 1: ARPA One-Time Fiscal Year 2022-23
Workforce Development Funding Recommendations
Recommended Funding
Approved Fiscal Year 2022-23 One-Time Funding $500,000
Recommended Additional Appropriation of One-Time Funding $95,975
City Programs
Universal Class $22,000
Brainfuse’s JobNow $12,000
Career Online High School scholarships and stipends $135,075 City Programs Subtotal $169,075
Partnerships
Partner(s) Program
Working Partnerships USA Trades Orientation Program $100,000 Mountain View Los Altos Union High
School District and Mountain View
Whisman School District
Cross-Generational Literacy Program $77,900
Foothill College Career Exploration Day $35,000
Child-Care Provider Career
Development Program
$29,000
NOVAworks Whole Person Initiative $50,000
Los Altos Mountain View Community
Foundation and Reach Silicon Valley
“Mompreneur” Program $75,000
Day Worker Center of Mountain Gardening Skills Training $20,000 View Basic Technology Training $20,000
Bicycle Repair and Maintenance
Training
$20,000
Partnership Programs Subtotal $426,900
Total Requests $595,975
American Rescue Plan Act Funding for Workforce Development May 9, 2023
Continuation and Augmentation of City Programs
Staff recommends allocating funding to augment and continue existing workforce development programs and resources include self-paced training and support for jobseekers. These programs and resources include:
• Career Online High School, a service offered in partnership with the California State Library in which participants can earn an accredited high school diploma and credentialed career certificate at the same time. Participants are given up to 18 months to complete the self - paced p rogram and are expected to spend approximately 10 hours per week on coursework. Staff recommends funding:
— Five full scholarships to Career Online High School which will be matched by the State Library for a total of 10 scholarships, and
— Ten (10) stipends to allow participants to devote the requisite time to completing the program, set at a rate of $18.00 per hour and paid out monthly on the condition that the recipient has completed at least 10 hours of coursework in that month.
• Universal Class, a course catalog through which library users can access over 550 online classes. The recommendation is to fund a four-year subscription to Universal Class.
• Brainfuses’s JobNow provides live, interactive online career coaching services along with a web-based career resource hub that includes a resumé builder. The recommendation is to fund a four-year subscription to Brainfuse’s JobNow.
Partnerships
Staff also recommends allocating the one-time ARPA funding to leverage and support a number of existing programs and partnerships. Brief descriptions of each program and the proposed use of the one-time funding are provided below.
Trades Orientation Program—Working Partnerships USA
Working Partnerships USA ’s Trades Orientation Program is an apprenticeship preparation program that aims to establish a pathway from community organizations to pre-apprenticeships to Registered Apprenticeships with a focus on recruiting a diverse pool of community members to engage in opportunities for skilled construction careers. The program is open to adults aged 18 and over with a high school diploma or GED who have a valid California driver’s license and can do physical work.
American Rescue Plan Act Funding for Workforce Development May 9, 2023
Over the course of one year, participants can earn a Multi -Craft Core Curriculum (MC3) certification and complete introductory coursework to prepare them for an apprenticeship in the building trades. Participants also receive up to one year of individualized job search training and placement support and opportunities to interview with industry employers. Books and materials for the coursework are provided at no cost to participants and the program will provide support services (e.g., assistance with the purchase of work boot s, child care, apprenticeship initiation fees, or other expense) as needed, in an amount up to $599 per participant. Eighty percent (80%) of program graduates secure placement in an apprenticeship and/or related employment within one year of MC3 certification.
To date, few Mountain View residents have applied to and participated in the program . The recommended grant of $100,000 would enable the program to reserve seats specifically for Mountain View residents and pilot an intensive outreach model focused on connecting with existing networks, service providers, and community groups in the City to reach eligible residents.
This funding would also allow the program to increase support services for Mountain View residents to up to $1,000 per participant . The goal of this program expansion is to support at least 10 Mountain View residents in earnin g credentials, applying and being accepted into a registered apprenticeship, and beginning work as an apprentice earning at least $25 per hour plus benefits.
Cross-Generational Literacy Program—Mountain View Los Altos Union High School District and Mountain View Whisman School District
Mountain View Los Altos Union High School District (MVLAUHSD) and Mountain View Whisman School District (MVWSD) have requested support to establish a cross -generational literacy program that leverages existing resources and relationships to provide high school students with training and formal part-time employment opportunities, pre-Kindergarten through eighth grade (pre-K to 8th grade) students with literacy support, and adults with educational opportunities.
The proposed program will train high school students to serve as literacy support providers, role models, and mentors for pre-K to 8th grade students after school and during school holidays and breaks while parents and other adults attend ESL classes, computer literacy classes, and employment search and development courses provided by MVLA UHSD’s Adult Education program. High school students will also record literacy exercises for students to watch at home, providing them with on-demand instruction from familiar role models . High school and adult participants will have access to laptops an d support for home internet to facilitate program participation and narrow the digital divide.
The $77,900 funding request w ould support stipends for high school students at a rate of $18.15 per hour and adult supervisors at $25.00 per hour, transportation support for students, training, custodial and food services , and home WiFi access for adult participants . The goal of the program is to train 20 students to provide literacy support for pre-K to 8 th grade students American Rescue Plan Act Funding for Workforce Development May 9, 2023
identified by MVWSD staf f as candidates who would benefit from participation in the program .
Additional partners include Mountain View Parent Nursery School and Foothill College.
Career Exploration Day (Foothill College)
Foothill College currently serves as the Local Education Agency to the IBEW Local 6 and IBEW Local 332; the Bay Area Sheet Metal Building Trades Local 104 ; the UA Local 62, 467 , and 393; and the Northern Sound and Communication Joint Apprenticeship Committ ees to offer apprentices who get admitted in to these programs with college credits, certificate s of achievement, and associate degrees in science . In addition, Foothill College works closely with the South Bay Apprenticeship Coordinators Association (SBACA) and Santa Clara County Construction Careers Association (S4CA) to promote registered building trade apprenticeship programs to high school students as a viable career choice with health benefits and no tuition fees.
The College requested $35,000 to leverage these existing partnerships with the trades ’ training centers, SBACA, and S4CA to offer a hands -on career fair to Mountain View residents . Fair attendees interested in pursuing a career in the building trades w ould have the opportunity to enroll in courses to prepare them to successfully complete the aptitude tests required to enter an apprenticeship program. Foothill College plans to partner with the Employment Development Department, NOVAworks, adult centers, community centers, LGBTQ communities , and neighborhood and parent associations to market the event with the goal of reaching as many low-income and underserved Mountain View residents as possible.
Child-Care Provider Career Development Program (Foothill College)
Foothill College’s Child Development and Education departments recently began offering courses specifically designed for nannies. The courses provide formal education on child safety, in-home curriculum, and communication skills and a potential path to certification or a degree . Through formal education, nannies can build their skills as child -care professionals and improve their employment and wage prospects. Additionally, students will have access to college advising and recruiting for further training in early childhood education courses toward a 20-unit Certificate of Achievement and/or English as a Second Language classes.
The $29,000 recommended to fund this program would be used for monthly child development and early-care workshops in the Mountain View Library or Community Center, st ipends to mentor nannies to provide one-on-one support for those new to the profession and/or college courses, and scholarships for up to 15 Mountain View nannies to enroll in Nanny, Child, and Family Studies classes or ESL classes. Foothill College will partner with The Institute for Families and Nannies to implement this program.
American Rescue Plan Act Funding for Workforce Development May 9, 2023
Whole Person Initiative (NOVAworks)
Building on a successful pilot program in San Mateo County, NOVAworks is seeking funding to support a “whole person” model of providing workforce services to recruit, train, and provide employment opportunities for extremely low -income families . The “whole person” model includes one -on-one ca reer advising services to identify where each person is in their career journey, career navigation training, customized occupational skills training, employment opportunities with career ladders, and supportive services such as transportation assistance, food, and child care. The program is designed to eliminate barriers to participation by meeting basic needs and providing intensive and sustained career advising support.
A grant of $50,000 would serve 15 adult Mountain View residents via the Whole Person Initiative.
NOVAworks anticipates that at least 11 participants will gain employment and/or increase their family income within six months of completion of the program . In addition, the initiative will provide ongoing career navigation training open to the public through the Mountain View Library and the opportunity for a career day event for families with children ages 14 to 18. For this program, NOVAworks will partner with local service providers to identify and recruit career seekers in need of assistance, including participants in the Elevate MV Guaranteed Basic Income pilot program.
“Mompreneur” Program—Los Altos Mountain View Community Foundation and Reach SV
Reach SV (formerly Reach Potential Movement) runs a “Mompreneur” program out of the Gateway Neighborhood Center that allows community members to prepare food items for sale during sporting and cultural events on a rotational basis. The program primarily serves Spanish- speaking immigrant women , many of whom are single parents . Twelve (12) women have participated in the program to date, allowing them to supplement their household income by $200 to $1,000 on an ad hoc basis.
The staff recommendation of $75,000 would support the purchase and ongoing maintenance of three food carts to support the expansion of this program to serve a cohort of up to 30 local food entrepreneurs. The cohort would be comprised of under -resourced wome n who are predominantly Spanish-speaking Mountain View residents. Cohort members would participate in a mandatory basic training program, including food safety, financial basics, entrepreneurship, and English skills for a retail food setting, with the option of subsequently participating in Micro- Entrepreneur Home Kitchen Operation (MEHKO) training and certification and other training offerings relevant to establishing a successful micro-business. All training would be available in Spanish and supported by free child care.
In addition to th e food cart purchase and maintenance and training costs, the funding would subsidize MEHKO certifications for participants and a shared kitchen, supplies, insurance, food cart permits, and other logistical and administrative support for the program.
American Rescue Plan Act Funding for Workforce Development May 9, 2023
Gardening Skills, Basic Technology, and Bicycle Repair and Maintenance Training—Day Worker Center of Mountain View
The Day Worker Center of Mountain View seeks funding for three training programs to provide foundational skills to the day worker community, offered at no cost to the participants. The three programs are:
• Gardening Skills—This training program runs for 10 weeks and serves 12 individuals per session. Participants learn essential sustainable organic vegetable gardening principles and skills, including biodiversity and native plants, natural pest control, and efficient watering techniques. In addition to the Community for All and Economic Vitality Strategic Priorities, this training program supports the Council’s Sustainability and Climate Resiliency goals and provides marketable skills to day workers to meet local demand for organic and sustainable gardening services. The $20,000 request for this program would fund two 10 -week sessions.
• Basic Technology—Over the cour se of 30 weeks, the 10 participants in this training learn computer and internet basics , including topics such as social media, avoiding scams and phishing attacks, digital security and privacy, and using word processing applications. This training introduces foundational technology skills that allow workers to complete a variety of basic work -related tasks, including accessing information and services, searching and applying for jobs, and preparing quotes or invoices.
• Bicycle Repair and Maintenance —This 10 -week training program can accommodate 24 participants who learn bicycle mechanics, how to diagnose problems, and various techniques for repairing, adjusting, and replacing bicycle parts and systems. The skills imparted by this training allow workers to market their bicycle repair skills as well as enabling those who do not own cars to maintain and repair their own bicycles.
The staff recommendation to fully fund the $20,000 request for each training includes student stipends of $25.00 per hour, trainer fees, materials and supplies, and administration costs.
FISCAL IMPACT
The City Council approved $500,000 from ARPA funding in the Fiscal Year 2022 -23 Adopted Budget for job training and workforce development programs . Staff is requesting an additional appropriation of $95,975 in the General Non -Operating fund to increase the total amount of Fiscal Year 2022-23 one -time workforce development funding to $595,9075 to fully fund the programs listed in Table 1.
American Rescue Plan Act Funding for Workforce Development May 9, 2023
ALTERNATIVES
1. Decline the staff recommendation and provide other direction on the allocation of the one- time ARPA workforce development funding.
2. Provide other direction.
PUBLIC NOTICING
The Council meeting agenda and Council Study Session memorandum have been posted on the City’s website and announced on Channel 29 cable television . A copy of the report was sent to each of the organizations requesting workforce development funding.
Prepared by:
Laurel James
Principal Management Analyst
Approved by:
Kimbra McCarthy
City Manager
LJ/1/CAM
612-05-09-23CR
202648
Attachment: 1. Resolution