Special Notice / Hearing: None__
Vote Required: 4/5 Vote
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: Michael P. Callagy County Executive
Shireen Malekafzali Taidi, Chief Equity Officer, County of San Mateo
Subject: Resolution Accepting Grant Award from NOVAworks and the NOVAworks Foundation to Pilot the San Mateo County Career Pathway Program
RECOMMENDATION:
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Recommendation to:
A) Adopt a resolution authorizing the County Executive Officer or designee(s) to accept the grant award from NOVAworks and the NOVAworks Foundation to pilot the San Mateo County career pathway program with the County Office of Racial and Social Justice, for the term of May 1, 2025 through January 31, 2027, in the amount of $250,000 and authorizing the County Executive or designee to execute the grant agreement; and
B) Approve an Appropriation Transfer Request (ATR) recognizing unanticipated revenue in the amount of $125,000 for FY 2024-25 for project management services associated with this grant.
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BACKGROUND:
On March 8, 2022, the Board of Supervisors adopted an Anchor Institution resolution to ensure the economic opportunities that the County generates are intentionally aligned with its priority of shared prosperity and fair opportunities for all. In support, the Office of Racial and Social Justice convenes the multi-sectoral collaborative San Mateo County Shared Prosperity Coordinating Council (SPCC). The SPCC is a working group of leaders from local government, nonprofit, and private sector organizations seeking to advance economic mobility and promote shared prosperity in a county suffering from significant gaps in income and economic opportunity.
The SPCC worked together to create the San Mateo County Economic Mobility Action Plan that identifies strategies to help close the gap in shared prosperity in the county. To ground the complexity of the work and diverse interests, the SPCC adopted the Urban Institute’s National Economic Mobility from Poverty framework with three focus areas to advance prosperity: economic success; power and autonomy; and being valued. Considering findings from the data-driven planning process, one priority strategy for economic success is building pipelines through local pathways into quality public careers with benefits.
DISCUSSION:
To advance local workforce pipelines into quality public sector jobs, NOVAworks, a member of the Shared Prosperity Coordinating Council, is offering a grant to the County to support the Office of Racial and Social Justice to design and pilot a local public sector career pathway that promotes high-quality employment and shared prosperity while helping address workforce needs in San Mateo County. The $250,000 investment supports project costs for designing and piloting a workforce pipeline into two entry-level hard-to-fill positions with career opportunities. This funding will include hiring of a part-time consultant and/or project staff to manage the initiative. NOVAworks Launch Lab will provide strategic guidance and partnership to support an impactful model with potential for scalability.
Specifically, the funding is proposed to support the following efforts:
1) Develop the San Mateo County Career Pathway Pilot in partnership with NOVAworks, creating sustainable career pathways for local residents with barriers to quality employment into entry-level, high-quality public sector roles;
2) Support economic mobility through structured career pathways for local residents with barriers to quality employment by connecting them with sustainable, quality jobs in the public sector;
3) Strengthen cross-sector partnerships between San Mateo County, NOVAworks, the San Mateo County Shared Prosperity Council, and community-based organizations to foster pathway models for high-quality public sector employment;
4) Advance the NOVAworks Foundation pilot program Launch Lab’s mission to develop, test, and refine scalable models that enhance, in this instance, entry into public sector roles, promoting high-quality employment and shared prosperity.
EQUITY IMPACT:
The proposed pilot program will bring new structures to the County to strengthen public sector career pathways and shared prosperity while addressing workforce needs in San Mateo County. By working with County departments and local community-based organizations, this pilot program will support research to identify appropriate hard-to-fill entry level positions in the County, design effective workforce development training and work program, recruit, train, and retain local residents with barriers to quality employment, and pilot the pipeline program. This pilot will integrate learning and improvements to serve as a model to bridge a gap in economic opportunity for vulnerable communities.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The County will benefit from a total of $250,000 investment in workforce development. Concurrent with this Resolution, the Board will be approving an Appropriation Transfer Request in the amount of $125,000 recognizing unanticipated revenues for Fiscal Year 2024-25 from the above-described grant. There is no additional Net County Cost associated with this action.