Damon’s Story: How WDB, InTech and apprenticeship changed one man’s life

Through the challenges of devastating life events, Damon Bridges needed something to change his fortunes and bring peace to him and his family. He found that, through the support of WDB and an apprenticeship program that prepared him for a life-changing career change.

Bridges’ seemingly impossible journey began as a young man, with dreams of attending a four-year university but believing it was out of reach. In 2009, his wife died of breast cancer, leaving Bridges to raise two young children while working two full-time jobs to make ends meet.

“The years passed and my children grew older. At 41 years old, I grew tired of working two jobs, and realized it was time for a career change,” Bridges said.

Through WDB and the Chaffey College InTech Center, he enrolled in an industrial apprentice program. “There were a lot of long days and long nights, but with the support of Workforce and Chaffey, things just felt right,” he said.

Then tragedy struck again, when, on August 21, 2021, his son Shemar was murdered. “In life, people go through things that will cause you to lose focus, but I knew my son would have wanted me to complete my goal. He was my motivation to complete the program,” Bridges said. He graduated in November 2021, and the next month was hired by Ventura Foods in Ontario as an apprentice. This past December, he was promoted to Maintenance Mechanic.

“I wouldn’t call this a success story because it is not a race it is a marathon,” he said. “There is so much I want to do for my community. I’d love to mentor the youth. Help them accomplish their goals and dreams. Show them that anything is possible if you believe in yourself and put in the necessary work.”



Message from the Chair

Helping employers find workers

William Sterling

WDB Chair

I’ve said it before, but one of the great joys of serving on our Workforce Development Board is hearing the stories of those individuals whose lives our Workforce team have helped transform. This past month, Damon Bridges shared his journey with us. We’ve tried to reflect it as best we can in the piece above (“How WDB, InTech and apprenticeship changed one man’s life”), but words alone couldn't possibly capture the power and emotion of Damon’s presentation to our Board. We were left speechless, and it reminded us how important our work is to those we serve.

I say that with all humility. We are honored and privileged to be in the position to help Damon and the thousands of others who seek our assistance in building a better life for themselves. Damon thanked us, but I want to thank him, our staff and our partners for showing us that we do make a difference.

Rapid Response is helping displaced workers find their next job opportunities

When Adam Orosco and his coworkers were informed last February that Hubbell Armorcast was closing its Ontario plant, they were faced with life-changing decisions. Though Hubbell had provided ample notice and even offered employees an opportunity to interview at other company locations across the nation, for many of them, it was not feasible to uproot their lives and families, so they turned to WDB for help.

In the event of a layoff, such as this one, WDB and its Rapid Response team are able to provide the information, tools and resources to seamlessly connect displaced workers to their next employment opportunities. Workforce staff and partners are quickly mobilized to connect workers being laid off to local companies and organizations that are actively hiring. 

WDB also partners with various Chambers of Commerce in the County to increase capacity and timeliness to even better serve displaced workers. In this case, 16 of the displaced workers were placed at Crown Technical Systems, the other nine at Pacific Forge. 

“They were very helpful in making sure we were being connected to the right job for us individually. They also offered us bus passes, even work boots, if we needed them,” Orosco said.

When I was 15 years old, during my freshman summer break, I secured my first job at McIntosh Hay & Grain, which was a feed and pet store in Norco. I did an assortment of job duties, but mainly “bucked” hay and other pet supplies for customers. It was a fun job. I was able to work outside, with friends, and interact with the customers. It was also physically challenging. During that summer, I bulked up quite a bit, roughly 20 pounds., which helped a lot with high school football. I ended up working at McIntosh until I graduated high school since they allowed me quite a bit of flexibility with my schedule. The hourly pay was $4.25, if I recall correctly, plus generous tips. Through this job, I was able to accumulate enough money to buy my first vehicle, develop a better understanding of the importance of good work ethics, learn the value of the dollar, and make lifelong friends.

Local employers will participate in several hiring events at the County’s America’s Job Centers of California (AJCCs) in the coming weeks:

Thursday, March 16: West Valley AJCC, 9650 9th St., Suite A, Rancho Cucamonga. 9 a.m.-noon. Register here.

Thursday, March 23: High Desert AJCC, 17310 Bear Valley Rd., Suite 109, Victorville. 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Register here.

Thursday, April 20: West Valley AJCC, 9650 9th St., Suite A, Rancho Cucamonga. 9 a.m.-noon. Register here.

Thursday, April 27: Adelanto Stadium, 12000 Stadium Way, Adelanto. 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Register here.

WDB hosts free virtual seminars throughout the week to help job seekers on topics such as interviewing skills, resume building and navigating the employment resources available during the pandemic. If you know of anyone who could use this valuable assistance, a calendar of upcoming sessions is available here.

In the meantime, here are some upcoming events and release dates:

Wednesday, March 22: WDB General Board meeting, 8:30-10:30 a.m., 290 North D Street, Suite 600, San Bernardino.

Friday, March 24: California EDD releases its February jobs report.

Friday, April 7: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics releases its March U.S. jobs report.

Friday, April 7: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics releases its March U.S. jobs report.

Visit our YouTube channel to view archived videos of our Business Services webinars, such as this one on creating a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion.

WIOA Title I-financially assisted programs or activities are an equal opportunity employer/program. Auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities. For federal funding disclosure information, visit: wp.sbcounty.gov/workforce/ffd/.