(The Center Square) – According to the state-run program California Jobs First, more than $286 million have been allocated toward creating high-paying jobs in science and technology fields.
Numbers published by the program’s website show that more than 10,000 people in communities across the state have been hired for jobs or benefitted from job training programs created by California Jobs First across 13 distinct regions of California.
Jobs in those 13 regions, according to the California Jobs First program, are in distinct geographical regions that the program designated as North State, Redwood, Capital, Sierra, Bay Area, Northern San Joaquin, Central San Joaquin, Central Coast, Kern County, Los Angeles County, Inland Southern California, Orange County and along the Southern Border.
More than 1,000 communities in those 13 regions in total are positively impacted by the jobs created, according to a database showing jobs created by the program.
“California Jobs First embodies the recognition that California’s diverse regions each have their own challenges and opportunities and, as such, require a tailored approach to economic and workforce development,” said Stewart Knox, secretary of the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency in a report released earlier this year. “Through this first-of-its-kind state investment, California is empowering regions with the tools and funding to chart their own futures in a manner that is inclusive and equitable.”
Officials with the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency were unavailable for comment.
One such job training project the money went toward was a semiconductor training program for high school and college students, according to a California State University, Fullerton. The $80,000 grant, originally from the California Jobs First Program, went to the Orange County Business Council, which then granted the money to CSU Fullerton to train students in jobs in the semiconductor industry, the university said in the press release.
“The project responds to regional workforce shortages and employer needs by offering a structured continuum of training,” Kenneth John Faller II, a professor of electrical and computer engineering and project director, said in the press release.
Representatives from CSU Fullerton and the Orange County Business Council were not available to answer questions from The Center Square.
According to the program’s January 2025 report, the California Jobs First initiative was launched in 2021 to create more high-paying jobs across the state at a quick pace. So far, roughly $286 million has been allocated across all 13 geographic regions to pay for jobs ranging from aerospace and defense to hardware and software services, the report said.
The report also detailed projects that helped fuel job creation in various communities throughout the state. In Northern California, forests and watersheds, natural resources and health were vital industries to create jobs in, while clean energy and recreation and tourism were priorities in California’s Redwood communities. Biotechnology, precision manufacturing and business services were vital for the Capitol region, while tourism and outdoor recreation and tourism were vital for the Sierra region, according to the report.
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Aerospace science, life science and high tech were three of several priority industries for the Bay Area, while transports and logistics, advanced manufacturing and working lands and water were priorities in Los Angeles County, according to the report.
Representatives from the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development and the California Workforce Development Board were unavailable to answer questions.