Business JournalGood Jobs Central Valley marks more than 1,200 job placements for local residents

 

A news conference honoring the achievement was held Aug. 11 at the Total Concept Enterprises manufacturing facility in Fresno and featured guest speakers Will Oliver,  Blake Konczal, Jennie Campos Bautista, Anthony “AP” Armour, Liz McIlvaine and Rep. Jim Costa.

 

 

The initiative, funded through the U.S. Economic Development Administration’s Good Jobs Challenge, is designed to connect regional economic development leaders, workforce boards, industry alliances, education partners, employers and community-based organizations to create efficient, employer-driven talent pipelines.

 

The program has prompted more than 3,000 residents to enroll in specialized workforce training, with nearly 2,000 completing their training pathways and more than 1,200 placed into high-quality, long-term careers.

 

 

Oliver, CEO of the Fresno County EDC, said the organization devoted months of research to understanding what local employers needed to grow, compete and continue investing in the Central Valley, and to preparing residents for a successful transition into the workforce.

 

“Together with our partners, we have helped develop continuums of training across our industry sectors that go to construction, manufacturing, transportation, logistics,” said Chris Zeitz, vice president of Fresno County EDC. “The goal is to get people out of the door, put their foot in the ladder or find the ladder, for long term prosperity.”

 

Konczal, executive director of the Fresno Regional Workforce Development Board, thanked the Fresno County EDC and the U.S. Department of Commerce for the Good Jobs Challenge and its funding of three new cohorts for the Valley Build MC3 Training program, which provides residents with construction jobs and helps maintain the infrastructure used to travel through California.

 

 

Bautista, executive director of the Workforce Investment Board of Tulare County; Armour, CEO of Neighborhood Industries; and McIlvaine, owner, president and CEO of Total Concepts Enterprises Inc., all expressed appreciation for their partnerships with the program and its help in connecting local residents with the support they need to sustain employment.

 

“The 1,000 job placements we’re celebrating today are a strong example of what can happen when employers, education, workforce and community partners work together with a shared focus on connecting people to good jobs,” Bautista said. “And we’re really proud to be a part of that work.”

 

Costa spoke last, describing the program’s impact on Fresno County’s educational and economic sectors and the importance of investing in residents’ successes.

 

“At the end of the day, we’ve built a better and stronger future for the people who live in our Valley, who live in our state and who live in our country,” Costa said. “You can never go wrong when you’re investing in the American people.”

 

 

As of July 2026, the program reported 1,884 training graduates and 1,210 job placements, with 391 individuals in transportation and logistics, 244 in manufacturing, 238 in business services and 337 in construction.

 

Good Jobs Central Valley plans to continue its cohort training schedules until the end of its grant cycle in May 2027. Additional information about the initiative and about funding and donations is available at the program’s website.