JobTrain Announces Campaign to Partner with Bay Area Businesses to Help Educate and Employ Those Most in Need

MENLO PARK, Calif., May 6, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- JobTrain, a Silicon Valley nonprofit organization whose mission is to move people out of poverty and into middle wage jobs, today announced the creation of its Let's Move the Needle campaign, designed to engage Silicon Valley and the entire San Francisco Bay Area in partnering to help those most in need to succeed.  The campaign will engage employees of Bay Area companies as partners in JobTrain's skills upgrade, vocational training and job placement programs.

The campaign is set to launch Friday, May 8, during JobTrain's 2015 Breakfast of Champions at Levi's® Stadium in Santa Clara, when the organization will celebrate its 50^th year helping the Bay Area's underserved communities.

"JobTrain is proud of our 50-year heritage serving the Bay Area community," said Nora Sobolov, executive director of JobTrain.  "This new campaign, which will build on our experience of directly partnering with Bay Area businesses, will expand on our track record of success and sets news goals to make JobTrain's impact even more widely felt and sustainable."

Even as Silicon Valley is enjoying its lowest unemployment rate since the recession, many in the community and surrounding areas are not reaping the benefits.

• Counted among the employed are those who have to work at least two full-time minimum wage jobs to live in the area. 
• Nearly 30% of Silicon Valley's population does not make enough money to meet basic needs without some form of public assistance. 
• A middle-income family of four must earn at least $33,600 annually to pay the average rent on a 2-bedroom apartment, yet the annual income cut-off for federal government aid is $30,000.
• There is limited land available to build affordable housing, develop basic services, and create local middle wage jobs.

For 50 years, JobTrain has helped people realize their potential and move from no job or poverty-level employment to middle-income jobs and great success.  Many of JobTrain's students have become employers themselves and stay connected to help the next generation. The Let's Move the Needle campaign recognizes this pool of potential partners within the Bay Area workforce and is designed to leverage their skills and expertise to help JobTrain "move the needle forward" into the next 50 years.

Details of the Let's Move the Needle campaign will be announced at this year's Breakfast of Champions, taking place on May 8 at Levi's Stadium, from 7:30-9:30 AM.

This 50^th year Breakfast of Champions is expected to attract more than 700 people, including JobTrain partners, Bay Area employers, students, volunteers, and community leaders.

This year, former Google executive Alan Eustace, whose 2014 freefall skydive from 135,890 feet above the Earth over Roswell, New Mexico set a new world record, will be the featured speaker.

Also taking place at the event on May 8:

• The Community Champion Award will be presented to the San Mateo County Sheriff's Department for its longstanding partnership with JobTrain to reduce recidivism rates in the community.
• JobTrain will announce the Paul M. Cook Trailblazer Fund, started by the Cook family in honor of Paul's 90th birthday and his more than 30 years of dedication to JobTrain.  This fund will help extend the impact of JobTrain's programs and services as well as develop new pathways to employment for our clients.

About JobTrain
JobTrain is a nonprofit organization that provides job training and career placement at no cost to low income Bay Area residents. Since 1965, over 190,000 individuals have benefitted from a JobTrain program or service. Full-time job training programs include: Business Administration, Culinary Arts, Laborers Construction Fundamentals, Medical Assistant, Professional Health Care Worker, Project Build: Carpenters Pre-apprenticeship/Green Technology and Web Developer Coding Bootcamp.

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SOURCE JobTrain, Inc.