Opportunities abound in one of SB County’s largest job sectors | Certificate, degree programs available locally at public colleges, universities | |
California State University, San Bernardino: Hospitality Management
Chaffey College: Hospitality
Management, Culinary Arts
Copper Mountain College: Culinary Arts
San Bernardino Valley College: Hospitality Management, Culinary Arts
Victor Valley College: Restaurant Management
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The Inland Empire’s emergence as Southern California’s hottest new tourist destination has brought with it abundant jobs and career opportunities. Today, leisure and hospitality rank among the region’s Top 5 employment sectors, exceeding 180,000 total jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
And while many of these jobs are entry level, allowing teenagers and young adults the opportunity to gain valuable work experience, demand is growing for higher-paying positions such as chefs, restaurant and hotel managers, lighting and sound engineers and venue operators. To help meet this need, community colleges and universities across San Bernardino County offer a variety of certificate and degree programs in hospitality management and culinary arts. Similar career pathways are opening up at the high school level, one notable example being a new 4,700-square-foot hospitality and culinary arts center at Colton High School, which is expected to open next year.
The economic impact of all of this is staggering, accounting for more than $5 billion a year in wages across the Inland Empire and generating more than $400 million a year in local and state tax revenues in San Bernardino County alone (see chart below).
The San Bernardino County Workforce Development Board (WDB) is committed to supporting this essential industry and the jobs it provides to local residents. To learn more about the resources and services we provide businesses and job seekers, please visit our website.
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WDB takes home 8 NACo Awards | |
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WDB has been honored with eight of the 160 Achievement Awards awards received by San Bernardino County from the National Association of Counties (NACo). Among the services and initiatives for which WDB was honored were the Rapid Response Community Resource Fair, Economic Recovery Business Outreach Program and, in partnership with the Public Defenders office, the Record Clearing, Resource and Employment Fairs. The NACo awards recognize the best of the best among county governments across the U.S.
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Approximately 275 laid off workers from United Furniture Industries were offered new employment opportunities during WDB’s Rapid Response Community Resource Fair in Victorville last December. The program has been honored with a prestigious NACo Achievement Award.
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Monthly Labor Market Update | The Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) continues to post steady job growth even as the broader two-county region has seen some tapering off. The MSA added 16,600 jobs between May 2022 and May 2023, according to the California Employment Development Department (EDD), with health care and social assistance accounting for the bulk of that (up 12,100 jobs). Between April and May, construction posted the biggest increase, up 3,400 jobs. | |
5 ways WDB can support businesses | |
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William Sterling
WDB Chair
How can business owners and employers take advantage of what the San Bernardino County Workforce Development Board (WDB) has to offer? Here are five thoughts:
– Access skilled workers through our three America’s Job Centers of California and other recruitment services that connect businesses with job seekers.
– Use our On-The-Job Training program, which pays for up to half of a new hire’s compensation during his or her training period.
– Stay up to date on what’s happening in the local employment market, through our website, this newsletter or in consultation with one of our Business Services Specialists.
– Tap into our team of professionals who can help businesses develop strategies to operate more efficiently while improving productivity and reducing costs. For companies that might be downsizing, our Rapid Response Team is available to help employees access economic assistance and transition to new career opportunities.
– Attend any of our free virtual business workshops, which cover a wide range of topics such as human resources, process improvement, and branding and marketing.
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My first job was in 1973 at Citrus Care Convalescent Hospital across from Fontana High School. I was a junior in high school at FOHI, and I got a work permit to get this first job. I was a dishwasher and had to wash the big pots and pans that they used for meal prep at the facility. I also had to mop the kitchen floor everyday, which was a big task since it was a large industrial kitchen. Betty Carrol was the kitchen administrator, and I made $2.38 an hour. I worked there for a little over a year until my senior year, then I went to work for Alpha Beta supermarket in Fontana. This first job reinforced to me the importance of hard work and the critical role our service employees play. | |
Connecting Employers and Job Seekers | |
More than 40 employers and 500 job seekers gathered at Ontario International Airport’s iconic Terminal 1 on June 15 for a job fair hosted by WDB, the county Public Defender’s Office and Fourth District County Supervisor Curt Hagman. Participating employers conducted 79 on-the-spot interviews and scheduled more than 200 future interviews with potential candidates for available positions within their organizations. In addition, more than 100 formerly incarcerated residents had the opportunity to meet with representatives of the Public Defender’s Office to begin the process of clearing their records, while getting the resources and connections they need to secure employment. | |
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Local employers will participate in several hiring events at the County’s America’s Job Centers of California (AJCCs) and other venues in the coming weeks:
Thursday, July 20: Hiring Event, West Valley AJCC, 9650 9th St., Suite B, Rancho Cucamonga. 9 a.m.-Noon. Click here for more information.
Thursday, July 27: Hiring Event, Destiny Christian Church, 14380 Amargosa Rd., Victorville. 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Click here for more information.
Thursday, August 3: Hiring Event, East Valley AJCC, 500 Inland Center Drive, Space 508, San Bernardino. 9 a.m.-Noon. Click here for more information.
Thursday, August 17: Hiring Event, West Valley AJCC, 9650 9th St., Suite B, Rancho Cucamonga. 9 a.m.-Noon. Click here for more information.
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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:
Friday, July 21: California EDD releases its June jobs report.
Friday, August 4: Bureau of Labor Statistics releases its July jobs report.
Wednesday, August 9: WDB General Board Meeting, 290 N. D St., Suite 600, San Bernardino. 8:30-10:30 a.m.
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Visit our YouTube channel to view archived videos of our Business Services webinars, such as this one updating Labor Law in California. | | |
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Click here to catch up on past editions of Workforce Update, WDB’s monthly e-newsletter and labor market intelligence report.
If you know others who would like to receive this timely and important information, please invite them to join our mailing list at info.workforce@wdd.sbcounty.gov.
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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: workforce.sbcounty.gov/about/ffd/
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