The San Diego Workforce Partnership is putting serious money behind youth opportunity, announcing $4.22 million in grants today for community organizations across the county that serve young people who are struggling to stay in school or land a job.
The awards, selected through a competitive process, will boost paid work experience, job training and career-exploration programs in neighborhoods that have historically had fewer services, including the South Bay, parts of Metro San Diego, North County and border communities. Grantees range from university research foundations to grassroots nonprofits and virtual training programs that will pilot AI-integrated tracks and LGBTQ+-focused career pathways.
How the funding works
The grants are funded through the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, which supports youth ages 14 to 24 who face barriers to education and employment, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
Rachel Bereza, the San Diego Workforce Partnership’s president and chief executive officer, framed the awards as a way to match local talent with real chances to advance. “Talent is everywhere in San Diego County, but opportunity isn’t,” she said, as reported by Times of San Diego.
According to the partnership, this round of investment will pay wages for internships, fund career coaching and provide support services for young people who face multiple hurdles on the way to a stable job.
Who got the grants
The San Diego Workforce Partnership’s funding recommendations direct some of the largest awards to organizations with deep local footprints and specialized expertise. South Bay Community Services tops the list at $1.2 million, followed by the San Diego State University Research Foundation at $1 million, the International Rescue Committee at $873,983 and ClimbHire at $750,000.
Smaller wind-down awards are slated for Access, the YMCA and San Diego Youth Services, and Eckerd Youth Alternatives is recommended as a career-center operator under the same procurement. The partnership said the chosen providers were selected for their ability to reach youth across the region with programs that can show measurable results, according to the San Diego Workforce Partnership.
Where the need is greatest
The partnership’s own analysis paints a mixed picture of how young people are faring in the local labor market. Only about one in three young people in San Diego County are currently in the workforce, and roughly 16% of youth countywide are unemployed. The situation shifts sharply by neighborhood: South San Diego faces a youth unemployment rate near 31%, and East San Diego’s student graduation rate is about 81% compared with a countywide average near 85%, according to the analysis.
That uneven landscape is exactly what local officials say they are trying to address. “Every young person deserves a real pathway to a career, not just a promise that opportunity exists somewhere down the road,” San Diego City Councilman Sean Elo-Rivera said, as reported by Times of San Diego.
Background and next steps
The San Diego Workforce Partnership opened the $4 million request-for-proposals in January, set a Feb. 13 deadline and anticipated sending award notifications in early April, with contracts scheduled to start July 1, 2026, according to San Diego Workforce Partnership RFP materials.
The RFP prioritized investments in areas with less coverage, specifically south bay, metro, north, east, rural and border communities. It also identified AI-integrated programming and virtual models as priority approaches for serving young people who may not be able to access traditional in-person programs.
With contracts now underway, providers are expected to begin onboarding youth and reporting participant outcomes in the coming months.
How young people can connect
Youth interested in paid internships, training, or career coaching can access services at San Diego Workforce Partnership career centers, by calling (619) 319-WORK (9675) or emailing [email protected], according to the City of San Diego career center listing.
Community providers are expected to publish enrollment details as new cohorts open, and residents are encouraged to check local career-center calendars for upcoming workshops and sign-ups.
