With long-term support from PPND, OPDC’s Hill-Oakland Workforce Collaborative program has matched over 2,700 people with local employers, ensuring that economic growth benefits all sectors of the community.
Oakland
In the midst of the city’s expanding medical–university complex, Oakland Planning and Development Corporation found a way to link local residents to new healthcare careers.
The Job*Links program from Oakland Planning and Development Corporation (OPDC) helps people with little employment experience and high barriers to employment begin to build a work history. The Health Employment Access program prepares clients for jobs in healthcare by providing computer and customer service skills, medical terminology instruction, and CPR training.
Through the School to Career program, ninth to twelfth graders learn the skills they need to pursue their career dreams. Since the program’s inception in 2001, the agency has helped 7,000 clients to better compete in the most vibrant sector of the local economy.
Despite a strong business core, the neighborhood needs help to replace deteriorating housing and unite residents in community care. Ongoing support from PPND provides the community with both a voice and a stake in the plans of large Oakland institutions. Responding to a common goal of a safe, healthy community, ten thousand volunteers have participated in OPDC’s clean-up campaigns.
