An estimated 380 Long Beach youths will receive climate-related job training thanks to a $6.3 million grant from the State of California’s Governor’s Office.
The grant, accepted by the Long Beach City Council on Tuesday, represents a step forward in the City’s vision for a Youth Climate Corps.
“This is going to be, I think, a transformational program for so many young people,” Mayor Robert Garcia said. “I’m really proud that we’re going to get this launched here in Long Beach.”
A total $150 million was made available to cities thanks to last year’s State budget surplus. California’s 13 largest cities got a “carve-out” of those funds, including Long Beach, according to Pacific Gateway Executive Director Nick Schultz, whose agency will administer the program over the course of two years.
The program is geared towards “opportunity youth” ages 16 to 30—those who are low-income, unemployed and/or out of school, have been involved in the criminal justice system, are in or transitioning from foster care, or are engaged with the mental health or substance abuse system.
The grant requires that 75% of selected participants meet at least two of the criteria.
“I think what’s really great is that these youth, who in many ways are more susceptible to pitfalls in society, are given an opportunity that will create a pipeline, a pathway for them to actually have career opportunities in the future,” Vice Mayor Rex Richardson said.
Those participants will be placed in paid job placements in public agencies or nonprofits at an expected rate of $16 to $27 an hour depending on the placement.
Schultz said that he sees city departments as their “biggest asset and partner” in providing job opportunities. The program is expected to partner with the Long Beach Office of Sustainability, Health and Human Services and the Long Beach Conservation Corps, among others.
Most jobs will last 450 to 500 hours, or about 16 weeks at 30 hours per week.
Councilmember Suely Saro questioned the length of the program, saying that it takes at least a year for most people to acclimate to a job.
“Related to youth participants, given all the other factors in a complex life, especially those out-of-school youth, we find that most of them average somewhere between 20 to 30 hours a week at most,” Schultz said. “They won’t burn through that at full time.”
Schultz assured Saro that members of the program could be co-enrolled in other programs that support childcare, transportation and clothing related to their job placement. The program will also offer “soft skills” and other development workshops, such as resume building, to help them secure a job after their placement, he said.
Possible job placements include urban greening and natural systems services (like tree planting, urban forest management and native ecosystem restoration), urban agriculture (like supporting urban farms) and waste reduction and energy (rooftop solar outreach and installation or establishing or supporting recycling programs).
The success of the program, according to the grant, is dependent on permanent placement in a job or continuing education.
Many council members asked about outreach for the program, given the estimated 380 spots to fill.
Schultz said that his department already has an existing caseload of opportunity youth to advertise the program to, but that he will also use “channels with our partners in the workforce development ecosystem,” including the Office of Youth Development and the council offices, to conduct outreach.
“We think there’s capacity and there’s demand,” Schultz said. “We’re excited to offer this and we think the demand and the uptick is going to be swift.”
The City is expected to convene with potential partners this month and kick off the first youth job placements this summer. The program’s activities will be tracked and reported by Pacific Gateway.
The next Long Beach City Council meeting will take place Tuesday, May 10 at 5 p.m. at the Civic Center, 411 W Ocean Blvd. Meetings are live-streamed at www.longbeach.gov/lbtv.
