Workforce Investment Board funds program for 13 veterans to receive

Industrial Maintenance Mechanic Training

San Bernardino, CA (December 14, 2011) —The San Bernardino County Workforce Investment Board (WIB) has stepped in to bridge the gap as the mining industry struggles to find qualified workers and returning veterans need work.  Through the WIB’s Desert Green Veterans Training Grant, the first class of 13 veterans successfully completed the Industrial Maintenance Mechanic Training course at Barstow Community College in November.

“All veteran participants who completed this program graduated with the skills to meet the requirements of a first-year apprentice entering the Industrial Maintenance Mechanic field,” said Sandy Harmsen, Executive Director of the San Bernardino County Workforce Investment Board. “As mining operations and construction plans for utility-scale solar projects move forward, this training will make more skilled workers equipped to obtain available jobs in the region.”

The Workforce Investment Board is actively recruiting recently returning veterans for the next course that begins mid-January 2012. There are also training funds available for long-separated veterans and county residents.  Job placement assistance for graduates is underway and offered at the close of all programs funded by the Workforce Investment Board.

“These training programs offer our veterans opportunities to confidently compete for jobs as our county moves aggressively to lower unemployment and generate a skilled workforce for our employers,” said San Bernardino County Chair and Fifth District Supervisor Josie Gonzales. “Empowering our residents to find employment locally boosts our economy and helps revitalize our communities.”

This training program and others like it are federally-funded and free to qualified San Bernardino County veterans and residents who participate. To learn more, please call (800) 451-JOBS or visit a local Employment Resource Center at http://www.sbcountyjobops.com/erc.html.

About the Workforce Investment Board of San Bernardino County

The Workforce Investment Board of San Bernardino County is comprised of private business representatives and public partners appointed by the County of San Bernardino Board of Supervisors. The WIB strives to strengthen the skills of the County’s workforce through partnerships with business, education and community-based organizations. The County of San Bernardino Board of Supervisors is committed to providing County resources which generate jobs and investment.

The Workforce Investment Board, through the County of San Bernardino’s Economic Development Agency and Workforce Development Department, operates the County of San Bernardino’s Employment Resource Centers (ERCs) and Business Resource Centers (BRCs). The ERCs provide individuals with job training, placement and the tools to strengthen their skills to achieve a higher quality of life. The BRCs support and provide services to the County’s businesses including employee recruitment.