The City of San Bernardino, in partnership with California Volunteers, Office of the Governor has announced that it has been awarded a $4,169,142 grant to hire nearly 70 young and early career staff members over the next two years. The City will hire individuals in the Parks and Recreation, Animal Services, Library, and Police Departments, along with additional positions in partnership with local Community Based Organizations (CBO’s).
Part of the Office of the Governor, California Volunteers oversees the #CaliforniansForAll Youth Jobs Corps program, which is working to employ local youth under the age of 30 across the state to help address urgent challenges in California while participants learn key job skills, develop career pathways, and serve their communities.
“The ability to create so many positions for young, early career individuals that can make a difference across the city is not something that happens very often,” said San Bernardino City Manager Robert Field. “We will be able to place new staff members, inspire them to pursue careers in public service, and teach them the skills and knowledge they need to advance. When their term is over, they will have the experience to qualify for permanent positions in San Bernardino or at a nearby agency.”
In addition to creating opportunities and job experience for local youth, the positions being created are intended to assist in restoring valuable local programs in San Bernardino that had to be shut down or curtailed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Parks and Recreation positions will help expand senior citizen programs, youth and teen after school activities, and recreation opportunities. The City Library positions will restore youth literacy and academic enrichment programs. Animal Services will provide training and experience vital for career pathways into veterinary services, an industry that is severely understaffed in the region. The Police Department, unable to hire during much of the pandemic due to delayed recruitments and closed academies, will be able hire additional police apprentices, one of its most effective pipelines for local youth to become police officers.
“The #CaliforniansForAll Youth Jobs Corps is a win for our young people, the City of San Bernardino and the state of California,” said Josh Fryday, California's Chief Service Officer in the Office of Governor Gavin Newsom. “California is investing in underserved youth and bringing people together in service to uplift our communities.”
“Congratulations to the City of San Bernardino for receiving this $4.2 million grant from California Volunteers, said Assembly Majority Leader Eloise Gomez Reyes. “This hiring program has the opportunity to change the lives of so many local youths, and the work they will be doing will positively impact even more residents.”
The city positions will be full-time or half-time paying between $16 to $27 an hour along with applicable benefits and run through May of 2024. San Bernardino’s Human Resources website (https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/citysanbernardino) will be posting many of the positions in the coming weeks. The process for CBO positions will be announced soon.
San Bernardino is committed to providing our youth with a pathway to succeed,” said Mayor John Valdivia. “Too often people say that you need experience to get a good job in public service. This program will provide up to two years of valuable work experience and training so our local youth can succeed. We are very excited to be receiving this grant.”
The #CaliforniansForAll Youth Jobs Corps Program is a $185 million California Volunteers program funded over two years through the 2021 Budget Act, an investment made by the Governor and State Legislature. $150 million was distributed directly to the largest 13 cities in the state. All other agencies, including San Bernardino, were able to submit proposals as part of a competitive process to determine the allocation of the remaining $35 million.
For more information on California Volunteers Youth Job Corps Program, visit cayouthjobscorps.com