SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA CAREERS : MAKING IT WORK : Resource Guide : Where to Find Tips, Testing and Training at Little or No Cost
Apprenticeship Preparation Classes
Sponsored by the Los Angeles Unified School District.
Services:
* Prepares trainees to successfully meet apprenticeship entry requirements in a variety of trades, including surveying, sheet metal, plumbing/steamfitting, painting/drywall, electrical, sprinkler fitting, carpentry, refrigeration/air conditioning.
* Information on selection processes of various unions
* Instruction and review in math and reading skills
Eligibility:
* 18 years or older
* High-school graduate/G.E.D. certificate
* Valid California driver’s license
Cost: $5 registration fee
Hours: 8 a.m.-noon, Mon.-Fri.
Address: Maxine Waters Employment Preparation Center, 10925 S. Central Ave., Los Angeles
Telephone: (213) 564-1431, Ext. 315
California Registry of Professional Counselors
Services: referrals to career counselors
Cost: referrals are free; variable fees for counseling
Address: 2555 E. Chapman Ave., Suite 201, Fullerton
Telephone: (714) 871-6460
Career Encores
Referral service for people 50 and older. Serves only Los Angeles County, networking with 50 other agencies countywide.
Services:
* Information on job training
* Job listings for employers and job-seekers
* Job search assistance
Job clubs:
* Burbank: 2100 Magnolia Blvd.
* Culver City: 3710 S. Robertson Blvd.
* Harbor City: 24404 S. Vermont.
Orientation at 10 a.m. Fridays. Call before visit.
Information: Outside L.A. County, employment information for older people is listed under Area Agency on Aging in county government sections of local telephone directories.
Cost: free to job-seekers and employers
Hot line hours: 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Mon.-Fri.
Telephone hot line for all sites: (213) 939-0391
Career Planning Center
Private, nonprofit, community-based organization.
Services:
* Job resource center featuring reference library and job listings
* Skills assessment, counseling, resume critiquing and job-search skills workshop by appointment
* Psychotherapy related to job loss
Costs: free job resource center, library and job listings; fees vary for skills assessment, career counseling and resume critiquing.
Hours: 1-4 p.m., Mon. and Wed.; 9 a.m.-noon, Tues.
Address: 1623 S. La Cienega Blvd., Los Angeles
Telephone: (310) 273-6633
Comprehensive Jobs Assistance Center
A one-stop career center sponsored by the city of Los Angeles.
Services:
* Counseling and assessment
* Classroom and on-the-job training
* Basic skills assistance
* Workshops on various subjects, including job transition, economic survival and interview skills
* Resume writing
Cost: free
Hours: 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Mon.-Fri.
Address: Pacific Asian Consortium in Employment, 2525 W. 8th St., Room 209, Los Angeles. Other locations are scheduled to be opened by the end of this month in East Los Angeles, northwestern San Fernando Valley, and the Crenshaw/South Central area.
Telephone: (213) 389-8389
Employment Development Department
State agency offering a variety of services to job-seekers and employers.
Services:
* Job Match, a statewide computer network matching applicants and openings
* Job-search training workshops
* Experience Unlimited job clubs geared to professional, managerial and technical workers seeking jobs
* Referrals to training or educational facilities and social service agencies
* Unemployment and disability insurance
Cost: free
Telephone: Look for nearest EDD Job Service office, listed under “California, State of” in the government listings section at the beginning of the telephone directory white pages.
EMPLOY Network
A computerized network of over 50 nonprofit agencies that assists employers in filling job openings. Agencies in the coalition assist job applicants with a variety of disabilities and special needs.
Services to employers:
* Matching pre-screened applicants with job openings
* Educational workshops on disabilities and the Americans With Disabilities Act
* Technical assistance on accommodations and adaptations
* Information on tax credits available to employers hiring people with special needs
* Assistance on meeting affirmative action goals
Cost: free
Telephone: (800) 244-1JOB
Jewish Vocational Service
Nonprofit, non-sectarian service organization.
Services:
* Motivational, job search, interview and resume workshops
* Job club support group geared to professionals
* Job listings, resource library
* One-on-one career counseling
* Job placement services for the disabled
* Career Focus, a five-session workshop for people interested in exploring a career change, Wednesdays, 6-8:30 p.m. * Second Wind, workshop, support group for people 55 and older
Cost: $30 registration fee; counseling per session, $60 or less; Career Focus workshop, $150
Hours: For more information, call between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m., Mon.-Thur. and 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m., Fri.
Locations:
* 6505 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 303, Los Angeles, (213) 655-8910
* 6429 Independence Ave., Woodland Hills, (818) 587-3222 (closed Fridays)
* University Synagogue, 11960 Sunset Blvd., Room 115, Los Angeles, (Fri. only)
* 22410 Palos Verdes Blvd., Torrance (Fri. only)
Mexican American Opportunity Foundation
Services:
* Job listings
* Computer training in WordPerfect, dBase IV, Lotus 123 and DOS
* On-the-job training, with partial reimbursement to employers
* Work experience for preschool teacher’s aides
* Basic skills training in reading comprehension and math
* Limited internships for youths 18 to 21 years old in the private sector, with paid wages during training
* Child care
Cost: free
Hours: 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Mon.-Fri.
Address: 6252 Telegraph Road, Commerce
Telephone: (213) 722-7807
Pacific Asian Consortium in Employment
Services:
* Job Training Partnership Act programs providing job training for a variety of positions for low-income residents of Los Angeles County; programs include classroom training and on-the-job training
* Dislocated, long-term unemployed and laid-off-workers program
* County refugee program offering on-the-job training and English as a Second Language program
* Youth program for people 16 to 21 years offering work experience and limited internship programs; must meet JTPA income and residency requirements
* Counseling and referrals
Cost: free to participants and employers
Hours: 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Mon.-Fri.
Address: 2525 W. 8th St., Los Angeles (will be at 1520 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, after Oct. 1)
Telephone: (213) 389-2373
Private Industry Councils Job Training Programs
The Job Training Partnership Act of 1982 provides federal funding for locally managed employment and training programs. Private Industry Councils plan job-training and employment programs for local labor markets.
Services:
* Educational, vocational and on-the-job training
* Job-search skills and placement
* Dislocated-workers program
* Older-workers program (55 and older)
* Summer and year-round youth training programs
Eligibility: Applicants may qualify for one or more reasons, including layoff, long-term unemployment or income below poverty levels.
Cost: For qualified applicants, training and placement services are free.
Telephone: (800) FOR-A-JOB. Applicants will be referred to appropriate service area office based on ZIP code.
Women at Work
Nonprofit organization focusing on career concerns of women, but men are welcome.
Services:
* Drop-in resource room featuring a library and job listings
* Counseling, testing and resume writing
* Specially funded programs for single parents, displaced homemakers and Latina professional women with limited English
* Evening workshops on career planning, resume writing, interview techniques, networking and job hunting after 50
* Information dissemination and counseling on non-traditional job opportunities for women (trade and tech)
Costs: drop-in resource room, suggested donation $2; counseling and resume writing, $50; occupational testing, including counseling, $90; evening workshops, free-$20
Hours: 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Mon., Tue. and Thurs.; 10 a.m.-7 p.m., Wed.
Address: 50 N. Hill, Suite 300, Pasadena
Telephone: (818) 796-6870
An expanded version of this resource guide is available from Times on Demand for $2.95. It is Item No. 8520.
If using a credit card, call the Times on Demand order line at 808-8463. Enter * 8630. No area code is needed from the 213, 310, 714, 818 or 909 area codes. Follow the voice prompts and select Option 3. You will need a major credit card to use the automated service.
To pay by check or if you do not have a touch-tone telephone, send a written request with a description of the items you want and their item numbers to Times on Demand Publications, P.O. Box 60395, Los Angeles, CA 90060. Unless otherwise noted, allow one week for delivery.
More to Read
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.