To: Board of Supervisors
From: Marla Stuart, Employment and Human Services Director
Report Title: WDB - Contract #20-517-3 Apply for and Accept a High Road Training Partnership Implementation Grant from the California Workforce Development Board
☒Recommendation of the County Administrator ☐ Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
RATIFY the High Road Training Partnership Implementation grant application, and APPROVE and AUTHORIZE the Employment and Human Services Director, or designee, to accept funding in an amount not to exceed $1,800,000, and execute a grant award agreement, including any amendments or extensions thereof, pursuant to the grant guidelines, with the California Workforce Development Board for the period July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2027.
FISCAL IMPACT:
100% State Funds; 50% will be budgeted in FY 25-26, and 50% will be budgeted in FY 26-27, subject to final award and appropriations.
BACKGROUND:
The High Road Training Partnership (HRTP) Initiative, administered by the California Workforce Development Board (CWDB), promotes equity, job quality, and sustainability through industry-based workforce partnerships.
The Workforce Development Board of Contra Costa County (WDBCCC) has successfully participated in earlier phases of this initiative. HRTP1 supported the launch of a healthcare training model focused on expanding access to emergency medical technician pathways for underserved communities. HRTP2 provided planning funds to identify regional training needs, strengthen sector partnerships, and design strategies to elevate frontline healthcare roles.
The proposed HRTP3 Implementation Grant builds on this foundation by funding a County-led effort to upskill 60 incumbent Medical Assistants working in community clinics. The program will deliver training in behavioral health, prenatal care, digital equity, and clinic operations, supporting advancement from MA1 to MA2/MA3. The initiative is designed to improve job quality, wage mobility, and retention among frontline healthcare workers, many of whom come from historically under-represented communities.
This effort strongly aligns WDBCCC’s Local Plan priorities by:
• Connecting job seekers to sustainable wage opportunities.
• Prioritizing investments in earn-and-learn models and long-term career development.
• Promoting equity through targeted training reflecting the needs and makeup of our communities.
• Strengthening healthcare sector partnerships to close gaps between high- and low-skilled labor.
The County was selected to move forward through a competitive pre-application screening process conducted by CWDB and is now invited to submit a full application. The final application is due by July 3, 2025, at 5:00 PM (PST). Timely Board approval will authorize EHSD to submit and manage the application and any resulting revenue agreement.
Key project partners include LifeLong Medical, SEIU, and the Alameda County Consortium of Clinics.
CHILDREN'S IMPACT STATEMENT:
The services provided under this Agreement support all five of Contra Costa County’s community outcomes: (1) “Children Ready for and Succeeding School”; (2) “Children and Youth Healthy and Preparing for Productive Adulthood”; (3) “Families that are Economically Self-Sufficient”; (4) “Families that are Safe, Stable and Nurturing”; and (5) “Communities that are Safe and Provide a High Quality of Life for Children and Families” by providing training and employment opportunities for in-school and out-of-school youth.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
County will forfeit access to HRTP3 funds, jeopardizing years of strategic planning, sector engagement, and partnership development advanced through HRTP1 and HRTP2. This would disrupt efforts to upskill frontline healthcare workers, limit service improvements in safety-net clinics, and diminish the County’s ability to attract future state investments in equitable workforce development.