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JUNE 2024
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Corporate expansion spurs one of the county’s fastest-growing career sectors |
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Mining, quarrying and oil and gas exploration is a nearly $500 billion industry in the United States, employing 700,000 workers and providing the raw materials that drive such key sectors as energy, pharmaceuticals and construction. It's also one of the nation’s fastest-growing employment clusters, especially in mineral and resource-rich regions such as ours.
That growth, combined with the fact that many of these jobs are highly specialized and difficult to fill, has put a premium on services and resources provided by the San Bernardino County Workforce Development Board (WDB). These include On-The-Job Training, which pays up to half of an employee's wages while he or she is being trained. WDB also is able to screen job candidates, which saves the company time, money and headaches.
Protech Minerals LLC is among the many companies that have taken advantage of these services, hiring a quarter of its workforce for its High Desert mining and milling operations as a result of its partnership with WDB.
As the charts below show, the demand for these kinds of jobs will continue to increase over the next several years. At WDB, we are here to support these opportunities, with services and resources for job seekers and businesses. To learn more, please visit our website.
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Message from the Chair
Inspired by the commitment, vision of our great Workforce Development Board
William Sterling
WDB Chair
One of the things I love the most about my role as the Workforce Development Board Chairman is the opportunity to work alongside employers and business leaders who volunteer their time to make our county one of the most vibrant economic and employment centers in the U.S.
The ingenuity, commitment and vision of our Board was on full display recently during our annual strategic planning session, during which we discussed our goals for the next year, new ways to use data and how we can even better serve job seekers and businesses looking to hire.
In the coming months, we will put a finer point on those ideas, through our committee work and leveraging the talent and expertise of our outstanding Workforce Development Department team. I would like to thank all of them – our Board and our staff – for the energy they bring and the opportunities they're creating. It's an exciting time for San Bernardino County and the Inland Empire, and we're proud to be part of that.
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San Bernardino County Chief Executive Officer Luther Snoke addresses the Workforce Development Board annual strategic planning session on May 8. |
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‘They’ve offered me mentorship and an overall blueprint for success’
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Michael Salazar (right) never let go of his dream to own a men’s grooming salon, through family crises, addiction, anger issues and incarceration. “I didn’t know anything about success,” says Salazar, who at 33 is transforming his life through the help of the Workforce Development Board (WDB) and its partners at the Cityway Community Economic Development Corp. Since entering the program, Salazar has put in motion his plans for a barber salon and hair-grooming training school, while marketing a line of all-natural hair and skin products.
“Growing up, we didn’t have much. My mother and myself, we were living in a shelter. My father had left. As a child, I had to figure out things,” he says. He was wired with what he calls a poverty mindset, which in turn led to addictions, anger issues and trouble with the law. But he also discovered a passion for cosmetology from a local barber, and began cutting hair in backyards and on the streets.
“Cutting hair for me was an escape,” he says. Once connecting with Cityway, he put together a business plan for his own shop and is seeking licensing for a barber school. “They’ve offered mentorship and an overall blueprint for success.”
He hasn’t forgotten his troubles of the past: “I was failing. I was self-sabotaging. I was so full of addiction I couldn’t see straight.” But he is determined to make it right – by him and others. “God told me I have a talent, and so what am I going to do with that? I’ve learned that by staying positive and focused, a supernatural strength will intervene.”
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Monthly Labor Market Update
 Employment gains in the healthcare sector continue to highlight a strong job market across San Bernardino County and the Inland Empire. Healthcare added 17,600 jobs throughout the two-county region over the past year, easily outpacing the next fastest-growing sector: Government. For April, the County’s unemployment rate fell below 5% for the first time since December.
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My first job as a pressure washer/trailer mechanic at Dalton Trucking in Fontana left a lasting impression on me, shaping my path to where I am today as the San Bernardino County Supervisor for the Second District. Through determination and diligence, I progressed from a pressure washer/trailer mechanic to an off-road diesel mechanic. Back then, working on those trailers in the summer heat and winter chill was no small feat. It was a blue-collar job that required getting dirty and working long hours, yet it demanded precision and dedication to get the job done right.
Reflecting on that time, I realize how the values ingrained in me during those days have deeply influenced my approach to both personal and professional life. I learned that no matter the challenges or obstacles, hard work and doing things the right way pay off. Whether it took us hours or days, we always persevered to complete the job with integrity. This lesson carries me now as I serve my community, raise my family, and run my business.
I’m grateful for my beginnings. They taught me humility, resilience, and gratitude. Without those early experiences as a young mechanic, I doubt I’d have achieved what I have today. I hold those memories dear, as they continue to inspire me and guide my journey.
A special thank you to Terry Klenske for believing in me when no one else did.
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Stat of the Month
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Connecting Employers and Job Seekers
The San Bernardino County Workforce Development Board hosts hiring events at the County’s America’s Job Centers of California (AJCCs) and other venues throughout the year. Coming up:
Thursday, July 18: Career fair, West Valley America’s Job Center of California, 9650 9th St., Suite B, Rancho Cucamonga, CA, 9 a.m.-Noon.
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Coming Up
WDB hosts free virtual seminars throughout the week to help job seekers on topics such as interviewing skills, resume building and navigating the employment resources that are available. If you know of anyone who could use this valuable assistance, a calendar of upcoming sessions is available here.
In the meantime, here are some upcoming events and release dates:
Friday, June 21: California Employment Development Department releases its May jobs report.
Friday, July 5: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics releases its June jobs report.
Wednesday, July 10: WDB Special Populations Committee meeting, 8:30-9:45 a.m.; Economic Development Business Resource Committee meeting, 10-11:15 a.m., 290 North D Street, Suite 600, San Bernardino.
Wednesday, July 17: WDB Youth Committee meeting, 8:30-9:30 a.m., 290 North D Street, Suite 600, San Bernardino.
Wednesday, August 14: WDB General Board meeting, 8:30-10:30 a.m., 290 North D Street, Suite 600, San Bernardino.
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 On any given day, San Bernardino County’s three America’s Job Centers of California (AJCCs) have access to 100 or more job seekers ready and able to fill your positions. To find that perfect employee for your business, please contact your local AJCC:
East Valley: 500 Inland Center Drive, Space 508, Inland Center Mall, San Bernardino (909) 382-0440
West Valley: 9650 9th Street, Suite A, Rancho Cucamonga (909) 941-6500
High Desert: 17310 Bear Valley Road, Suite 109, Victorville (760) 552-6550
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Stay up to date
Click here to catch up on past editions of Workforce Update, WDB’s monthly e-newsletter and labor market intelligence report.
If you know others who would like to receive this timely and important information, please invite them to join our mailing list at info.workforce@wdd.sbcounty.gov.
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- WIOA Title I-financially assisted programs or activities are an equal opportunity employer/program. Auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities. For federal funding disclosure information, visit: workforce.sbcounty.gov/about/ffd/
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