As part of a newly announced $500,000 grant, El Camino College will partner with other Southern California organizations to provide job training to area residents. The Citi Foundation announced that Propel L.A., supported by the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC), was selected as the recipient of a $500,000 grant as part of the 2018 Community Progress Makers Fund. The fund is a $20 million, two-year initiative by the Citi Foundation to support high-impact community organizations that are driving economic opportunities by bringing together residents, nonprofits, businesses, and municipal agencies.
Through the fund, Propel L.A. will develop a two-year program and partner with nonprofits to seek out underemployed and dislocated workers in Inglewood/Lennox, as well as Pacoima/Northeast San Fernando Valley, and recruit them for the advanced manufacturing training academies offered at El Camino College and Los Angeles Valley College. The grant will fund fees, books and supplies for students in the program, which will serve as a model for other potential programs throughout the county.
LAEDC launched Propel L.A. to support the implementation of the Countywide Strategic Plan for Economic Development. The Strategic Plan outlines seven goals to improve quality of life countywide through education, job creation, and building livable communities. Goal 1: Invest in Our People, and Goal 2: Strengthen Local Export-Oriented Industry Clusters, are the foundation of the work funded by the Progress Makers grant. In 2016-2017, the inaugural cohort of Community Progress Makers helped more than 14,700 low-income people secure financial assets; built over 10,500 affordable housing units; strengthened more than 1,100 small businesses; and connected 1,800 young people to jobs in their communities. Other recipients of the 2018 Community Progress Makers grant include United Way of Greater Los Angeles, LISC Los Angeles, and Homeboy Industries – as well as other organizations nationwide.