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The Rainier Valley Community Development Fund and Seattle Jobs Initiative Announce Contractors Chosen for Pre Apprenticeship Program
Seattle, WA – February 22, 2005 – The Rainier Valley Community Development Fund and Seattle Jobs Initiative announced today that the pre-apprenticeship program has begun after contracts were awarded to two teams of community based organizations which will carry out job training in the construction field. The two teams of contractors chosen for the program are led by Center for Career Alternatives (CCA) and TRAC Associates, and consist of partnerships with various Rainier Valley community based organizations.
The first team awarded a contract is the newly created Rainier Valley Community Employment Coalition, led by the Center for Career Alternatives (CCA). The team includes Asian Counseling and Referral Service (ACRS),Northwest Labor & Employment Law Office (LELO), Refugee’s Women Alliance (ReWA), Seattle Somalian Consortium (SSC), South Pacific Islanders (SPI), and Vietnamese American Economic Development Association (VAEDA). The second team contracted is led by TRAC Associates, and includes the A. Phillip Randolph Institute, Divine Alternative for Dads Services (DADS), YWCA and Apprenticeship & Nontraditional Employment for Women and Men (ANEW). The educational partners include Renton Technical College, South Seattle Community College’s Duwamish Training Center and Seattle Vocational Institute.
“We are very pleased with the community-based nature of this project,” said Jaime Garcia, Executive Director of the Rainier Valley Community Development Fund. “All of the agencies involved in the program have direct ties to Rainier Valley, and valuable experience in employment and job training.”
“This is a great opportunity for Rainier Valley residents to access livable wage jobs in the construction trade,” said Rhonda Simmons, Executive Director of Seattle Jobs Initiative.
The Rainier Valley Community Development Fund is a community-based financial institution established as part of the City of Seattle’s commitment to preserve cultural diversity and provide economic opportunities for Rainier Valley residents, businesses and institutions. Seattle Jobs Initiative, initially established in 1997 under the city’s Office of Economic Development, is now a nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to support themselves and their families. With a background in employment and job training, as well as experience helping to increase the capacity of community-based organizations, Seattle Jobs Initiative was appointed to administer the pre-apprenticeship portion of the Rainier Valley Community Development Fund.
The Center for Career Alternatives, TRAC Associates and the other community based organizations involved will be responsible for outreach, recruitment, assesment and case management, and will be the point of entry for the job seeker. These agencies will also prepare the job seeker for the 12-22-week long training program, familiarize each participant with the construction sector, and assist him or her in finding a job.
In the first, 14-month phase of the program, Seattle Jobs Initiative and its contractors seek to place 64 individuals in construction-related jobs on Sound Transit and in other construction related jobs.
Requirements
To be eligible, participants must:
- Be at least 18 years old on the date of enrollment
- Be unemployed or under-employed, and seeking employment in the construction trades
- Have family income at or below 175% of the federal poverty guidelines
- Be eligible to work in the United States
- Be Rainier Valley* residents who currently live in the Rainier Valley or have lived in the Rainier Valley within the last 24 months.
*Rainier Valley is defined as:
- The interesection of Martin Luther King and Rainier Avenue to the north
- City limits to the south
- Beacon Avenue to the west
- Seward Park Avenue to the east
How to Apply
Individuals interested in the Pre Apprenticeship program should contact Seattle Jobs Initiative at (206) 628-6975.
About Seattle Jobs Initiative
Seattle Jobs Initiative (SJI) is a nonprofit organization that helps low-income residents secure and advance in living wage careers by creatively aligning support services – including resources for shelter, childcare, transportation and medical care – with short-term job training. By partnering with local businesses that are seeking qualified employees, Seattle Jobs Initiative links students to internships and jobs. Seattle Jobs Initiative’s policy team compliments their program work by researching and advocating for legislative changes that improve access to training and services for low-income residents.
About Rainier Valley Community Development Fund
The Rainier Valley Community Development Fund (RVCDF) is a community-based financial institution that was incorporated in 2002 to administer the $50 million Community Development Fund established by the City of Seattle and Sound Transit in 1999. The Rainier Valley Community Development Fund’s key missions are to help mitigate the impacts of light rail construction on local businesses; fund community development activities to stimulate real estate and business development; and place Rainier Valley residents in construction-related jobs
Contact Information
Krista Kenner
Seattle Jobs Initiative
(206) 628-6988
kkenner@seattlejobsinitiative.com
Thao Tran
Rainier Valley Community Development Fund
(206) 722-5280 x 102
ttran@rvcdf.org
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