Since 2018, the Jewish Vocational and Career Counseling Service’s Automotive Pathway Program (APP) has been preparing Bay Area workers for careers in the automotive industry. Reducing emissions from on-and off-road vehicles is a key part of the state’s strategy to mitigate and adapt to climate change. Technicians and other workers in the automotive industry therefore serve critical roles in ensuring California meets its air quality and climate change goals.

Jewish Vocational and Career Counseling Service (JVS) was awarded over $500,000 through the California Workforce Development Board’s High Road Training Partnerships : Resilient Workforce Program to build upon early program success, strengthen relationships with program partners, and better meet participant and employer needs. JVS’s 18-week APP program is conducted with City College of San Francisco, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Local 1414, a local workers’ union. While JVS provides job readiness training and support to participants, City College teaches technical skills and SFMTA offers paid on-the-job training. With High Road Training Partnerships funding, JVS is restructuring partnerships through formal agreements with partners that define success for the program and ensure high job quality. SFMTA’s commitment to a diverse, highly skilled workforce complements JVS’s efforts to create career opportunities for local residents.

“The partnership with SFMTA has been instrumental in opening the door to opportunities and advancing careers in the transit sector,” shared Elizabeth Toups, JVS’ Senior Partnership Impact Manager. “It’s more than collaboration; it’s a commitment to building a workforce that mirrors the richness of our community.”

Maurice Hightower, Jewish Vocational Services Automotive Pathways Program Alum and Automotive Machinist at SFMTA

The High Road Training Partnership project also expands on JVS’s well-established regional training network addressing water and wastewater workforce needs in the Bay Area via BAYWORK and Inland Empire via IEWorks. JVS developed APP to create additional training and employment opportunities for workers looking to move into the automotive industry, since mechanic and machining skillsets are a common requirement across the automotive, water and wastewater jobs.

As a former training participant, Diane Starr, Maintenance Machinist at East Bay Municipal Utility District, gained meaningful technical skills and support that has helped advance her career. Starr said, "I'm happy about going to my job every day. I get to make things; I get to do some things that will help the community because I’m helping provide good clean water. I’m also very happy that I make an income where I can feel comfortable.”