82.1 F
San Fernando
Thursday, Mar 28, 2024

State Funds Chamber’s Job Training

The Greater San Fernando Valley Chamber of Commerce has received $187,000 in state money to provide job training for employers in the Los Angeles region. Chamber Chief Executive Nancy Hoffman Vanyek said the grant means the organization can assist companies threatened by out-of-state and international competition to stay in California. Training started on Oct. 30 and Vanyek believed it could be finished within three months. The chamber’s plan was to amend the contract with the state and get additional funding to continue the program, she added. Businesses do not have to be a chamber member to receive the training and can be located anywhere in Los Angeles or Ventura counties. The initial businesses taking advantage of the program are located outside the San Fernando Valley and have a total of 282 employees, Vanyek said. “That is over 20 different businesses,” she added. “Of those businesses, some have more employees than others, so the larger companies are going to take longer to train.” There is a lot interest from the chamber membership in the training program and there is an educational process for those companies that are eligible to understand how to participate. Vanyek said she has contacted the manufacturers that are members, including a couple with representatives serving on the chamber’s board, and they have expressed interest in participating but don’t know if they have the time. “They don’t have to do anything,” Vanyek said. “We send the trainers to you and you fill out a document.” The training includes skills such as customer service or technical manufacturing workshops. It can be customized to fill the needs of the client company. It is exciting for the chamber to be involved in the program because it meets the mission of keeping businesses in the Valley and the training is a way to encourage them to stay. “Before our hands were tied and we would talk to them and they would tell us all their issues and we really wouldn’t have an answer,” Vanyek said. “Now we can say here is a benefit you can have by staying in this area.” – Mark R. Madler

Mark Madler
Mark Madler
Mark R. Madler covers aviation & aerospace, manufacturing, technology, automotive & transportation, media & entertainment and the Antelope Valley. He joined the company in February 2006. Madler previously worked as a reporter for the Burbank Leader. Before that, he was a reporter for the City News Bureau of Chicago and several daily newspapers in the suburban Chicago area. He has a bachelor’s of science degree in journalism from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

Featured Articles

Related Articles