2013 City of Angels Awards Winner - Ernest Roberts, PVJOBS скачать в хорошем качестве

2013 City of Angels Awards Winner - Ernest Roberts, PVJOBS

Ernest M. Roberts is the Executive Director of Playa Vista Job Opportunities and Business Services (PVJOBS), a workforce development non-profit dedicated to assisting local, at-risk and multiple barriered citizens in attaining self-sufficiency through meaningful, career-track employment. Roberts has more than 23 years of experience in the technical and construction fields, having operated as a contractor, an electronic technician, a hydraulic technician, and a business owner for many years. Personal experiences led him to a deep understanding and empathy of our local at-risk populations. He received his degree in psychology from the University of Southern California where he graduated cum laude and with departmental honors. Under Roberts' direction after being hired in 1998, PVJOBS has grown to a major community-based organization with over 120 collaborating nonprofits. The organization has filled more than 4,500 construction-related positions with persons who were formerly incarcerated or suffered other employment barriers. PVJOBS's core program currently works with about 40 construction projects in the Los Angeles area, including Playa Vista. Roberts has also launched several other programs serving the community: • PVJOBS oversees the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) interns program, offering one year, paid internships to students while giving them valuable on-the-job experience. More than 1,600 students have benefitted since the program's inception in 2004. • To help returning military personnel establish new careers, PVJOBS runs a Veterans Employment Assistance Program (VEAP), funded by the State of California's Employment Development Department. • The Positive Pathways Program (P3) offers juvenile offenders support to overcome substantial risk factors. Youth are offered a menu of educational and workforce development services to ensure they acquire the skills to advance on their right path. • The e7 Architecture Studio, funded by the LACCD, delivers state of the art technology products to district campus building projects. Students simulate and analyze various design elements of LACCD structures in a digital realm, utilizing computer-aided design. PVJOBS is a major advocate for the inclusion of our local at-risk population in mainstream employment opportunities. The organization has proven to be an important national model to others that serve this needy population.