San Francisco, CA – The Office of Economic and Workforce Development (OEWD), the Golden State Warriors, Kaiser Permanente, and Jewish Vocational Services (JVS) hosts a career fair at Thrive City at Chase Center to bring employment opportunities in the healthcare industry, an industry that has experienced increased demand during the COVID-19 pandemic. The events are part of Mayor Breed’s investments for an equitable economic recovery that focuses on getting San Franciscans back to work in meaningful careers.
"Ensuring an equitable recovery from this pandemic requires us to work on connecting people to good opportunities like working in the growing healthcare industry," said Mayor Breed. "One of the key investments we are making in my proposed budget is in our workforce because workers have been hit hard during this pandemic and creating employment opportunities are essential to the long-term health and vibrancy of our City. This Job Fair is a great example of the public and private sectors partnering to support working people, and I want to thank everyone involved who worked to make this event a success for the people of this City who are seeking an opportunity."
As the demand for healthcare services continues to grow, opportunities for careers in the healthcare industry are on an upswing. As the healthcare industry continues to rebound, there is a high demand for more healthcare professionals. According to the University of California San Francisco (UCSF), California needs to add 500,000 new allied healthcare professionals by 2024 in order to provide needed care.
“The Healthcare Industry and the jobs it creates is vital to our City’s economy. As the demand for jobs and healthcare services increase, we want to ensure that we connect jobseekers including those from underserved communities, to these opportunities,” said Kate Sofis, Executive Director of the Office of Economic and Workforce Development.
The HealthCare Academy Career and Training Fair will feature over 30 employers, education institutions, and training partners. Companies will be looking to hire for long-term positions and partners will provide career resources as the healthcare industry is experiencing recovery and revitalization of previously postponed services. Roles that employers are looking to recruit for include medical assistants, nurses, personal caregivers, home health aides, case managers, emergency medical technicians, and many more. Jobseekers will be able to connect with employment resources such as free job training and educational programs, career counseling, resume writing, and other job readiness services.
The healthcare industry is one of the most diverse industries in San Francisco, with many limited-English proficient (LEP) speakers including LEP Cantonese/Mandarin speakers and LEP Spanish speakers. Interpreters will also provide translation services throughout the career and training fair for non-English speaking and limited English speakers.
“Healthcare careers are rewarding, in-demand, and essential to our well-being. Our HealthCare Academy training providers and educational partners such as UCSF, San Francisco State, and City College are at the ready to help connect local residents with terrific employers for valuable career opportunities. We are grateful to Kaiser Permanente, the Warriors, JVS and all of our partners for organizing this exciting event,” said Joshua Arce, Director of Workforce with the Office of Economic and Workforce Development.
“The members of the Hospital Council strongly support the efforts of Mayor Breed, the Office of Economic & Workforce Development and affiliated partners across San Francisco to ensure thriving pathways into the healthcare industry,” said Michon Coleman, Regional Vice President, Hospital Council-Northern & Central California. “Now, more than ever, we need a robust pipeline of enthusiastic and prepared individuals to reinforce our workforce. We are excited to share the broad spectrum of opportunities available to those interested in healthcare as a career.”
Prior to the pandemic, OEWD at the direction of Mayor London N. Breed hosted a series of career fairs to reach underserved neighborhoods and communities throughout San Francisco. As the City focuses on economic recovery, the City will continue to collaborate with employers and partners to organize career and resource fairs focusing on getting San Franciscans back to work in jobs with livable wages.
“The pandemic has caused clear economic fallout and our communities need to rebuild and recover,” said Tarek Salaway, senior vice-president and area manager for Kaiser Permanente San Francisco. “Kaiser Permanente is pleased to help improve economic opportunities in our communities by supporting job training and hiring efforts like today’s job fair. Kaiser Permanente is investing in programs that will close the racial wealth gap by creating economic opportunity for underrepresented communities.”
“Thrive City was created with the intent of hosting events that strengthen our community such as this hiring fair,” said Warriors Vice President of Government and Community Relations Yoyo Chan. “We are proud to provide an accessible space for San Francisco’s Office of Economic Development to host this impactful event, and to help Bay Area residents find career opportunities in the healthcare industry.”
“JVS is a long-standing partner of OEWD and the HealthCare Academy, and we couldn’t be more excited to be collaborating with them, the Warriors, Kaiser Permanente, and all our other amazing employer, industry, educational, and training provider partners on this fantastic event! It’s going to be a great opportunity to connect job seekers to healthcare employers, job opportunities, training providers, and programs,” said Teresa Betancourt, Assistant Director of Programs at JVS.
Last year, Mayor Breed invested $42 million, the City’s largest investment to date, to deliver job readiness, vocational training, and subsidized employment services to over 10,000 San Franciscans. The funding is to reverse employment disparities for San Franciscans and assist in lifting up individuals who were most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The funding includes support to train, retrain, and upskill workers who have been laid off in heavily impacted industries such as the hospitality sector, and expanding services such as wraparound support and community and industry job fairs and hiring events.
About the Office of Economic and Workforce Development
The Office of Economic and Workforce Development advances equitable and shared prosperity for San Franciscans by growing sustainable jobs, supporting businesses of all sizes, creating great places to live and work, and helping everyone achieve economic self-sufficiency. For more information, please visit www.oewd.org.
About the Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors, currently playing in their 76th season, are a charter member of the National Basketball Association. Founded in 1946 as the Philadelphia Warriors, the team moved to the West Coast in 1962 and spent nine seasons as the San Francisco Warriors before moving across the Bay to Oakland in 1971 and becoming the Golden State Warriors. In 2019, the Warriors returned to San Francisco to play at Chase Center, a privately financed, state-of-the-art 18,064-seat arena in the Mission Bay neighborhood. The team’s storied history includes six NBA Championships, 11 NBA Finals appearances, an NBA-record 73-win season, eight members of the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team, and 27 members of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. For more information on the Golden State Warriors, please visit warriors.com.
About Jewish Vocational Services
Since 1973, JVS has helped more than 85,000 people in the Bay Area to build skills, find jobs and transform their lives. JVS strategically combines resources from foundations, government, corporations, individuals and other community-based organizations to create successful programs for job seekers. For more information, please visit www.jvs.org
About Kaiser Permanente
Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. We are recognized as one of America’s leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, Kaiser Permanente has a mission to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve almost 12.6 million members in 8 states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal Permanente Medical Group physicians, specialists, and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the-art care delivery, and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education, and the support of community health. For more information, please visit www.about.kaiserpermanente.org