Becker Unveils “California Workforce Pay for
Success Act” To Get Money To Successful Programs Faster
(Sacramento) – Funding workforce development projects with a proven track record of training workers for successful careers is the aim of SB 382, the California Workforce Pay for Success Act, by Senator Josh Becker (D-San Mateo).
“California has the fourth largest economy in the world, but we still struggle with helping people who face challenges, such as formerly incarcerated youth, immigrants, and refugees, get into a quality job and a rewarding career,” said Becker. “The goal here is to get people from underserved communities into job training programs that have a history of success as quickly as we can.”
SB 382 creates a board and a separate fund in the state’s Labor and Workforce Development Agency to speed up grant awards to high performing, non-profit workforce training programs that have consistently been able to effectively train people and place them in successful careers. In cases where a non-profit doesn’t meet the goals set out in its application, the state would be free to terminate the contract and only pay for the results that were achieved.
“This is a social investment strategy that will turn unemployed or underemployed people into vital contributors to our economy and it’s going to save taxpayer dollars in the long run,” continued Becker. “One recent training program for underserved people found its graduates earned more than twice as much money annually four years after leaving the program than they did before entering the program. That’s the kind of success we are all looking to see.”
SB 382 has been assigned to the Senate Labor, Public Employment and Retirement Committee where it will be heard in late March or early April.
First elected in 2020, Senator Becker represents the 13th Senate District covering portions of Santa Clara and San Mateo counties and includes the cities of Atherton, Belmont, Half Moon Bay, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Menlo Park, Millbrae, Mountain View, Pacifica, Palo Alto, Redwood City, San Bruno, San Carlos, San Mateo, South San Francisco, and Woodside.
Press Contact: Evan Goldberg at evan.goldberg@sen.ca.gov
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