Agenda

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C.39

To:	Board of Supervisors
From:	Joe Valentine, Employment & Human Services Director
Date:	March 3, 2009

Contra

Costa

County

Subject:

Life Sciences Expansion Project Grant

APPROVE	OTHER
RECOMMENDATION OF CNTY ADMINISTRATOR	RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE

Action of Board On: 03/03/2009

APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED

OTHER

Clerks Notes:

VOTE OF SUPERVISORS

AYE:

John Gioia, District I Supervisor
Gayle B. Uilkema, District II Supervisor
Mary N. Piepho, District III Supervisor
Susan A. Bonilla, District IV Supervisor
Federal D. Glover, District V Supervisor

Contact:

Bob Lanter 6-5382

I hereby certify that this is a true and correct copy of an action taken and entered on the minutes of the Board of Supervisors on the date shown.
ATTESTED: March 3, 2009
David Twa,

BY:	, Deputy

RECOMMENDATION(S):

APPROVE and AUTHORIZE the Employment and Human Services Director, or designee, on behalf of the Workforce Development Board of Contra Costa, to apply for and accept Alameda County Workforce Investment Board, Life Sciences Expansion Project Grant funding in an amount not to exceed $75,000 for bioscience training to Contra Costa County residents from July 1, 2008 through June 30, 2009.

FISCAL IMPACT:

$75,000 from Alameda County Workforce Investment Board, Life Sciences Expansion Project Grant.
No County match.

BACKGROUND:

The Life Sciences Expansion Project Grant will expand highly successful bioscience training to Contra Costa County residents and increase capacity for ongoing bioscience training at community colleges. The program will build on work started 6 years ago in San Mateo County in partnerships with Genentech and Skyline College which later expanded to Ohlone College and additional biotech firms.

The grant will fund the referral and targeted recruitment of up to 60 individuals who are interested in pursuing jobs as process technicians in the biotechnology industry. Specifically it will fund up to 20 training slots for dislocated workers to attend training at the community college level. All course work will be fast tracked and will be approximately 13 weeks in duration and will include visits to biotech firms. Targeted individuals will include, but not be limited to those presently laid off dislocated workers from the mortgage industry who express an interest and aptitude for retraining in the bioscience field. Substantial changes in program costs necessitated Alameda County, the fiscal intermediary, to renegotiate the program funding. This delayed implementation of program agreements. (29-264-1)

CHILDREN'S IMPACT STATEMENT:

The grant funding will support two of the five community outcomes established in the Children’s Report Card,
3) “Families that are Economically Self Sufficient” and 4) “Families that are Safe, Stable and Nurturing” by upgrading job skills and providing opportunity for employment advancement to move toward self sufficiency.