UAII Workforce Development has continued to service Los Angeles and Orange County residents since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. During this challenging time, our program has pivoted to remote, virtual, and socially distanced services. While our method of delivery has changed, our program’s mission has not. UAII Workforce Development continues to pursue our overall goal of empowering a Native American workforce. We continue to provide ongoing, individualized college and career counseling to our clients, as well as supportive services to help clients in their career journey.  

 

UAII Workforce Development has been busy throughout the last few months! In November, we began mailing out free Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) supplies to the UAII Community. To date, UAII Workforce Development has received over 200 requests! To request PPE, please visit www.uaiiworkforce.com/ppe. In January, UAII Workforce also began distributing Student Success Kits, free kits filled with school supplies and academic resources. These kits were designed in collaboration with current college students to help support those enrolled in remote learning.

 

On Saturday, March 27th, in Santa Ana, CA, our UAII Workforce Development hosted a Free PPE Drive-Thru event for our Orange County clients and families. During this event our staff and volunteers distributed free personal protective equipment including masks, hand sanitizer, and wipes. Attendees of this event were provided COVID-19 resources, college and career informational pamphlets, and delicious frybread from the Wild Horse Café (Wildhorsesingers.com). The first 50 registrants for this event received a $50 food gift card. This effort to bring food cards to UAII community members during a time of need is supported through a micro-grant from Reality, an initiative of the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies.

 

The event was well attended and featured a visit by the City of Santa Ana Mayor, Vicente Sarmiento, City of Santa Ana councilmember, Jessie Lopez, and Santa Ana Board of Education, Vice-President, Carolyn Torres. Each spoke to the amazing work of UAII, and welcomed the Workforce Development and Training Department to Orange County. Mayor Sarmiento offered some words of encouragement and hope for members of the community as we continue to work through the crisis, and address the needs of our members during the recovery process. We are thankful for their community and look forward to working alongside them on issues that impact our American Indian/ Alaskan Native community. 

 

UAII Workforce Development will continue to host amazing events, workshops, and classes for the Native American community. To stay up to date on what is happening with our program, follow UAII Workforce Development’s new social media accounts. To find us online search @WorkforceUAII on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter or visit our website www.uaiiworkforce.com. 

 

What is UAII Workforce Development? 

 

The UAII Workforce Development Program provides free, individualized career counseling and professional development services to eligible American Indian/Alaska Natives in Los Angeles and Orange County.

 

To learn more about our program, visit www.uaiiworkforce.com