With funding provided by the Contra Costa County Workforce Development Board, the Contra Costa County Office of
Education’s Youth Development Services (YDS), the workshop’s fiscal agent, was
able to bring their students together with a number of professional
practitioners in the fields of manufacturing and digital media. The four-week program
was created and managed by another partner, Lunchbox International.
YDS Specialist Denise Clarke reports, “Along with all of the
useful information these students learned, they also earned $800 after completing
the 100-hour program.” Clarke and co-worker Oscar Blackwell case-manage the
students who are enrolled in a federally funded WIA program (WorkforceInvestment Act). “In addition with their classroom and hands-on education,
these students learned life-skills that will certainly help them in school and on
the job. These skills included employment interviewing, resume writing, and
on-the-job proficiencies.”
The students studied about rainwater harvesting, and how to
build efficient systems for homes and buildings by incorporating piping and
specialized rain-collection barrels.
Incoming Concord High School senior, Michael Camilleri-Betz, said, “I
really enjoy working with the math formulas as we created water-harvesting
systems for different types of buildings. We would design specific systems and
calculate the best way to collect water coming off a roof and into a rain
barrel.”
The entire class impressed the instructors on how well they absorbed
the learning materials and then passed the Green Building LEED Certification testing.
One of the instructors noted that he’d never seen such a group do so well. After finishing up their certification,
the students went right into digital media training. This was another hands-on
instruction where the students created a video public service announcement on
rainwater harvesting, while learning about lighting, sound, video production and editing, and working with on-air talent.
YDS Manager Catherine Giacalone said, “Our first order is to
make sure these students earn their high school diploma, and then prepare them
for post secondary education and careers. We are offering such trainings with
this summer where local employment research forecasts the need to fill
manufacturing, digital media and well as health care jobs. East Bay employers
continue to look for trained and skilled employees in these areas. This is an
expensive area for people to live in, and these work experiences will prepare
youth for employment in high-wage, high-growth industry sectors. ”
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