“It’s really exciting to think about the next generation of innovators, entrepreneurs and business leaders who are working their way through our education system as we speak. Our role in the new economy is an incredibly promising one.” |
Ted Alejandre San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools
|
|
A recent search on CalJobs found 572 employment opportunities in San Bernardino County that included some form of the word innovation in the description.
A recent study by U.C. Riverside went a step further, reporting that online postings by employers in San Bernardino County seeking skills such as business analysis, software development, enterprise resource planning, system design, databases and graphic design jumped 16% between 2019 and 2020 and more than doubled since 2016.
The conclusion is the same: Our county and the Inland Empire as a whole are emerging as major players in the innovation economy, in such fields as healthcare, transportation, cybersecurity, technology and supply chain management.
And while building a workforce of innovators might seem to be a daunting task, our schools, colleges, universities and career training programs are up to the challenge. This is evident in the proliferation of STEM education as early as elementary school, entrepreneurial training at the junior high, high school and college levels, and emerging career-pathway partnerships between businesses, schools and local communities.
At WDB, we see the innovation economy as key to our future, as a county and region. Our job centers and Business Services team are committed to preparing the workforce for future opportunities and helping businesses meet their increasingly complex employment needs. Check out our website here for more on the services we provide .
In the meantime, for some thoughts on attracting and hiring innovative employees, check out this link from inc.com.
|
|
Monthly Labor Market Update
SB County added 10,000 jobs during May,
unemployment rate dropped to 7.3%
|
|
For San Bernardino County, the COVID recovery took a major step forward in May, with 10,000 additional jobs and a 0.3% drop in the unemployment rate, according to the latest data from the California Employment Development Department (EDD). Employers in the county have added or restored nearly 100,000 jobs since the pandemic low point of April 2020. Across the IE, the biggest year-over-year gains have been in trade, transportation and utilities (up 56,400 jobs), reinforcing the region’s strength as a national supply chain hub. Leisure and hospitality, meanwhile, has added nearly 31,000 jobs year over year.
|
|
Phil Cothran, Chairman, San Bernardino County Workforce Development Board |
|
I love how Mitchell Devin, pictured above with his wife Mui, describes taking matters into his own hands after he was furloughed from his job in the early days of COVID-19.
“I wanted to become a better person than I was yesterday,” he says of using his down time to go back to school and retrain himself as an industrial electrical engineer. Today he is re-employed and better positioned than he has ever been for future career opportunities.
Mitchell hopes his story inspires others to take advantage of the workforce support services that are available in San Bernardino County. We do too. The economic recovery is in full swing, and for job seekers, the opportunities that are available now are unlike anything we’ve seen in years. At WDB, we strongly encourage anyone who is out of work or looking to advance their careers to follow the example of Mitchell and Mui, who went back to school after she, too, lost her job.
For more on their inspiring story, and the services provided by WDB, click here.
|
|
My first job was as a political campaign phone bank operator when I was in the 9th grade. My father, Hardy Brown, was running for the 6th ward City Council seat in San Bernardino. Everyone in the family was expected to get involved. Even our dogs posed for the family campaign photos. I knew then I loved politics. As a student, I worked on various campaigns, and also worked as an intern in Congressman George Brown’s Washington office. My father was eventually elected to the San Bernardino Unified School Board, my brother Hardy Brown II was the first African-American elected to the San Bernardino County Board of Education, and I took over as publisher of the Black Voice News when my mother, Cheryl Brown, was elected to the California State Assembly. Four decades later, I still love working in the world of politics, primarily as a publisher of news that covers the political process. |
|
Protech Minerals needed workers; WDB made sure they got them |
|
When Protech Minerals LLC took ownership of Pfizer’s highly specialized mining and milling operations in the High Desert five years ago, finding workers was no easy task.
The company is one of the few providers in the United States of bentonite, zeolite and montmorillonite for the cosmetic, pharmaceutical and agricultural industries, requiring skilled workers and a careful attention to detail.
With the support of the San Bernardino County Workforce Development Board (WDB), the company now has 30 employees – nearly a quarter of whom came directly through the WDB job services pipeline.
“Our relationship is second to none. It’s just outstanding,” said Terry Suzuki, Protech’s Chief Operating Officer. “They came out, explained their various programs and helped us fill critical positions. They were on top of it from the start.”
|
|
Coming up
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 16: California EDD releases June jobs report.
Friday, August 6: U.S. Department of Labor releases July jobs report.
Wednesday, August 11: WDB Committee Meetings.
|
|
For archived videos of our free Business Services webinars, such as this one on managing the new workplace, click here.
|
|
|
|
Stay up to date
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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
