February 5
Women’s City Club
Photos of the event are here

The February League Day presented a panel discussion moderated by Uma Shrivastava, President, Board of Directors, Women at Work. Ethel Fimbres, Director, East San Gabriel Valley Regional Occupational Program spoke of the training programs offered by the organization and emphasized how cost effective they are when compared to the commercial training centers. She stressed the value of networking in job searches.

Dr. Ofelia Arellano, who supervises the Noncredit Division of PCC, focused on the AB 86 Adult Education Initiative that will fund nearly $25 billion through California Community Colleges. PCC will be one of the institutions that will establish a consortium to implement the program.

Helen Romero Shaw, Public Affairs Manager, Southern California Edison, discussed the training programs available to mature workers through the Los Angeles County Workforce Investment Board.

Camille Levee, Executive Director for Women at Work, highlighted the training resources available at the agency, including career counseling and the job database. She emphasized that in today’s job market computer skills are essential in submitting job applications and participating in online interviews.

Elizabeth Pomeroy, PUSD board member, outlined the Pathways programs for high school students that are available at various Pasadena high schools, leading to a wide range of career options from culinary arts to computer technology. During the question and answer session and the table discussions, several issues were raised, including the need to monitor commercial enterprises, the accessibility of the programs, and the role of local, state, and federal government programs.

— Uma Shrivastava