Job Skills that Help Narrow the Gap in Santa Clara County

With one of the highest median incomes in the world, Santa Clara County is a successful community—by many standards. Yet that success is not shared among all the city’s residents. Homelessness rose by almost 30%^footnote1 during the coronavirus and pay disparity between men and women remains above the national average^footnote2. In partnership with the City of San Jose, San Jose Works seeks to change that by expanding economic opportunity for low-income, homeless and youth job seekers in the region. Together, they provide skills and career counseling to help locals find jobs, new careers and earn promotions. Participants create individual plans that include a path to living wage employment. Bank of America helps fund San Jose Works’ summer youth employment program, which provides work readiness support, job training, financial education and paid work experiences. The goal is for more members of the community to have successful, long-term careers.

7/6/2021