Human Services Agency of San Francisco
Department of Aging & Adult Services * Department of Human Services

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CalWORKs, PAES and WIA Participants

If you are participating in CalWORKs, PAES or WIA, you may be eligible for additional services as well. Ask your employment specialist for details.

Workforce Development Center

Open to all Welfare to Work participants, the Workforce Development Center provides structured and intensive job readiness workshops and job placement assistance. Participants exit the center with current résumés reviewed by professionals, a master application form, and experience in interviews provided by a series of mock interview sessions. Upon completion of the workshops, participants are assigned to a Job Club, located at one of the City's Career Link Centers, to assist them in securing employment. The Workforce Development Center is located at 50 Van Ness Avenue, and services are provided by referral only. If you have not already been referred to the Workforce Development Center, ask your Employment Specialist for a referral or information.

Vocational Assessments

Anyone participating in CalWORKs, PAES or WIA can receive vocational assessments. These assessments are an excellent way to help you enter the job market or change your career path. Several forms of assessment are available, depending on your language ability, comfort with technology, and individual needs. Some assessments are an analysis of ability in language, computer applications and manual dexterity. Others provide useful information related to personal characteristics and employment preferences. Assessment professionals administer and interpret these tests, and advise the job seeker about how their aptitudes, skills and personal characteristics mesh with careers available in San Francisco.

Career Advancement

San Franciscans who have successfully participated in the CalWORKs or PAES Welfare to Work programs, found jobs, and left financial aid, now have access to further services to help them stabilize in their employment and advance in their careers. Training opportunities, career guidance, job placement assistance and continued educational opportunities are offered to help employed persons obtain better-paying and more satisfying jobs. If you have completed your CalWORKs or PAES employment program, you will automatically be referred for career advancement services. If you are a former CalWORKs or PAES participant who would like Career Advancement Services, call (415) 401-4930.

Job Training

If you are participating in CalWORKs, PAES or WIA, HSA may be able to connect you with community-based nonprofit agencies or private schools which offer vocational and employer-based training programs. There is training in construction, technology, health care, hospitality and culinary trades, as well as many other options. Some participants may receive additional assistance, including purchase of required tools and uniforms, payment of union dues, job placement services and other benefits. For information on job training, ask your employment specialist.

Vocational ESL Immersion Program (VIP)

If you are a limited English speaker, learning English is one of the best ways to improve your job prospects, so HSA provides a specialized program for our CalWORKs and PAES clients who do not speak English. This program even offers some students an opportunity to receive paid work experience.

While traditional English as a Second language (ESL) programs take from one to three years, VIP has developed a shorter, intensive English language immersion program focused on teaching the vocabulary and expectations of the workplace. In a series of 18-week, full-time classes, participants progress from the lowest level of language ability to a workable knowledge of English, familiarity with common workplace technology and an understanding of American workplace culture.

HSA offers VIP in partnership with San Francisco City College and two community-based organizations - Arriba Juntos and Catholic Charities. This highly successful program has become a model for other cities with large immigrant populations.

For information on VIP, ask your employment specialist.

If you are a CalWORKs or WIA participant you may qualify for child care subsidies for the hours you are in work, training, or school as part of a Welfare to Work plan.