SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. /CitizenWire/ — Debbie Heschong, owner of Joshua Tree Landscape and Maintenance, was experiencing the high cost of Worker's Compensation Insurance, which made it necessary for her to utilize employment agencies for her staffing needs. According to the San Bernardino County Workforce Investment Board, Heschong needed additional staff but could not afford it.
Omar Castro, a member of the Workforce Investment Board's Business Resource Team, was contacted and immediately went to work analyzing the problem, providing recruitment assistance, an HR hotline and individual On-the-Job-Training resources. This assistance ultimately provided jobs for eleven new employees in Twenty-nine Palms, Hesperia and Fontana.
"We have taken full advantage of your On-the-Job-Training program to assist us in hiring eleven new employees, saving us more than $14,000. Many thanks to Omar Castro and his team for all their efforts in developing fast solutions for the tough challenges my business was facing," says Heschong. "Your services helped us retain employees and expand during these difficult economic times."
"Our County's Workforce Investment Board is focused on providing our employers with a business resource team that responds quickly and effectively to employer needs," said Josie Gonzales, Chair and County of San Bernardino Fifth District Supervisor. "I am proud to see that our employers are taking advantage of these services to save money and help them grow."
According to Sandy Harmsen, Executive Director of the Workforce Investment Board and Director of the Workforce Development Department, "Our business resource team members are like firefighters. The programs they implement are designed to help employers in crisis quickly stabilize operations. Our team's goal is to strengthen our employer's bottom line by providing business consulting services including recruitment, layoff aversion and specialized training programs to keep our residents employed."
This WIB program and others like it are federally-funded and free to employers who participate. To contact the Business Resource Team, call (800) 451-JOBS.
About the Workforce Investment Board of San Bernardino County:
The Workforce Investment Board of San Bernardino County is comprised of private business representatives and public partners appointed by the County of San Bernardino Board of Supervisors. The WIB strives to strengthen the skills of the County's workforce through partnerships with business, education and community-based organizations. The County of San Bernardino Board of Supervisors is committed to providing county resources which generate jobs and investment.
The Workforce Investment Board, through the County of San Bernardino's Economic Development Agency and Workforce Development Department, operates the County of San Bernardino's Employment Resource Centers (ERCs) and Business Resource Centers (BRCs). The ERCs provide individuals with job training, placement and the tools to strengthen their skills to achieve a higher quality of life. The BRCs support and provide services to the County's businesses including employee recruitment.
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